<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Garden Wraith by AbsolutelyNoChill_OnlyDeath</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27572869">Garden Wraith</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbsolutelyNoChill_OnlyDeath/pseuds/AbsolutelyNoChill_OnlyDeath'>AbsolutelyNoChill_OnlyDeath</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Gravity Falls, Over the Garden Wall (Cartoon &amp; Comics)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bad Poetry, Beast Wirt, Dipper needs time to process all this, Fiddleford needs more family, Ford please stop poking Wirt, Gen, Greg is a supportive sunshine child, Greg is trying his best to be a disney princess and Wirt isnt about that life, Guardian wirt, I dont know if i did anxiety right but i tried, I love OTGW so much, I've mangled the canon, Undecided Relationship(s), Wirt has anxiety, Wirt is Bi, does it count as death if they're already dead?, kinda OOC</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 20:55:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>27,918</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27572869</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbsolutelyNoChill_OnlyDeath/pseuds/AbsolutelyNoChill_OnlyDeath</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>With eyes glowing and death at one's fingertips, a new normal must be found and new opportunities made. The Unknown and the epicenter of Weird don't seem like they should ever collide, but some things were simply meant to be.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>115</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Aftershocks</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Dealing with the aftermath is always rough and the nightmares really don't help</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I wont deny, i love this crossover.<br/>Inspiration taken from all over the fandoms<br/>I regret nothing and everything<br/>But its fine, even if no one reads this.<br/>Not sure about ships yet.<br/>Any ideas?<br/>Anyway, I dont own Over the Garden Wall or Gravity Falls</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Over the wall and back again.</p>
<p>The soft flame of a lantern flickered and was blown out, now lying among the dead leaves and snow.</p>
<p>Walking deeper into the mist and snowflakes, they felt the cold surround them and the fog filling their heads cleared, water filling their lungs.</p>
<p>They shivered and shook, hacking out the water in their lungs as they desperately clawed their way up the muddy bank before collapsing, the darkness of exhaustion dragging them back down just as they caught a glimpse of their rescuers. It had taken every bit of energy he had to get them out of that lake, the cold seeping all the way down to his bones and to his soul, tugging it back to the place they had just escaped from. The smell of the lake and mud and an almost indescribable smell of what would only be described of as the dark clung to them as they were rushed to the hospital, but not as hard as he had clung to the tiny body in his arms.</p>
<p>Paramedics later told him how he hadn’t let go of his brother even when he had fallen unconscious and how brave he was to have not let his brother go through all of that. He didn’t feel like he deserved the praise and told them as much, but the adoring eyes from said younger brother soon stopped him. In the eyes of that child, even after all they had gone through, he was still the older brother that he admired deeply and that had gotten them out.</p>
<p>After being settled into their hospital beds, fussing nurses and serious doctors now out of the way, the boys experienced their mother’s hugs for the first time in what felt like a long time. And in a way, it was. They sunk into her warm embrace and the comfort she provided, feeling her love for them and both cried in her arms. The images and impressions from their experiences were still too fresh and the terror was still all too real for them. This lasted until they felt they could cry no more from relief and everyone was ushered out of the room for the night, the doctors keeping there for further monitoring, but they would be released in the morning. With that reassurance, their mother promised that she would return bright and early for them and they agreed, smiling at her softly.</p>
<p>Once alone in the hospital, the brothers turned to each other, tears in their eyes as they whispered about what they had gone through. They wanted to reassure themselves and each other so as not to think that had simply made it all up. The Unknown. The Beast. Beatrice. The Edelwood. Cloud City. Wirt almost dying. Greg’s deal. Greg almost dying. The escape. The lantern. The smaller boy held his frog close to him in a desperate bid for comfort.</p>
<p>“Wirt?” the younger asked.</p>
<p>“Yes, Greg?” the elder answered, trying to keep his voice from trembling, but was still hoarse from the previous tears.</p>
<p>“Is he gonna come back for us?” he asked quietly, his tiny body almost visibly trembling. The elder swallowed down the true terror he felt, his mind flashing back to the brilliantly shining arms that beckoned in the dark. But he shook his head to dislodge the image. They had vanquished that darkness. They had broken free and walked towards the light that was life. When they had awoken, Wirt’s first assumption was that he had had some sort of crazy fever dream while they had been drowning. It was a reasonable assumption considering all they went thought, but that illusion was shattered when he heard the sound of Lorna’s bell ringing inside of Jason Funderburker’s stomach. Not only that, but Greg was also spouting off the more lighthearted parts of their adventures rather than the darker parts that stuck vividly in Wirt’s own mind. Luckily, his parents wrote that off as just the overactive imagination of a child that just went through trauma, smiling and nodding to indulge the seven-year-old. Wirt wouldn’t know how to explain to their parents that their kids had been stuck in the quasi equivalent of Purgatory and had almost not made it back without being taken to a psychiatrist and possibly committed. Taking a breath, he blinked away the thoughts and shook his head.</p>
<p>“No, Greg. He’s gone and we’ll never see him again. We beat the Beast.” He reassured the younger and Greg let out a small, broken sob, sending a jolt of pain and shock through Wirt’s chest.</p>
<p>“I was so <em>scared</em>, Wirt. I…I thought…” he hiccupped and Wirt sat up immediately, concern creasing his brow. He had never seen his little brother like this. Sure, he had cried, he was only seven after all, but to see him sobbing in fear or pain or sadness wasn’t something he did. He was happy and carefree and everything that Wirt himself wasn’t. Maybe that was why he hated him for so long? He hated that Greg was so confident and friendly and people instantly warmed up to this sunshine child and his parents loved him unconditionally. And now, after everything that had happened, Wirt understood that too and lamented at how much of a horrible person he had been to his brother. How could it be that it was only as he was about to lose him that he realized how much Greg meant to him? He was lucky, incredibly lucky, that he learned this lesson before it was too late, and he vowed that he would never take advantage of that again.</p>
<p>With a slight huff from the ache in his bones, he untangled himself from the hospital sheets and padded over to the other bed, moving the frog to the other end of the mattress before sliding in and holding his brother tightly, rubbing his back in comfort.</p>
<p>“I know, Greg. I know. You were so brave to face him down like that and I’m so sorry I made you do that. I should have been better at leading the way out. I shouldn’t have lost hope and given up and I’m so sorry I failed you.” He whispered and hugged him softly, feeling his own tears threaten to spill over.</p>
<p>“What? Wirt, no! You made me the leader! It was my job to get you and Jason Funderburker out of there!” Greg cried quietly, nuzzling into his elder brother’s chest.</p>
<p>“No! None of this was your fault! You were a great leader! But I should have been good leader too. I was a bad one and got you hurt and I’m so sorry!” Wirt apologized, hugging the little body next to him. The image of Greg’s form slowly being trapped in the Edelwood made him tremble and he had to reassure himself with the feeling of the boy’s heartbeats beating beneath his fingertips.</p>
<p>“We’re out now and I promise that I’ll protect you. You’ll never have to see the Beast again. Not if I can help it.” Wirt whispered, taking comfort in the fact that Greg was calming down now, his trembling stopping and his sobs turning into small sniffles.</p>
<p>“Y-you promise?” Greg asked softly, eyes staring up at him. Wirt sighed softly and grabbed a forgotten object from the desk next to him, putting a small smile on his face.</p>
<p>“It’s a rock fact!” he whispered softly, playfully moving around the rock with a painted-on face. Luckily, that made the boy let out a small giggle and it filled Wirt with relief. There. A smile suited the child’s face much better than tears. And if it were up to Wirt, he would never have to see Greg cry about that again. From then on, he would be the best brother he could be and they would never have to experience something like the Unknown again</p>
<p>With their hearts settled and with the comfort the other brought them within reach, they fell themselves slip quickly into the arms of sleep, relief that it was all over now.</p>
<p>Sadly, that couldn’t be farther than the truth.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>Over the next month, Wirt and Greg discovered that while they had left the Unknown, the Unknown hadn’t left them. At least, not completely. It had left them with a few souvenirs for their troubles that neither of them expected. On the whole, the remnants of it wasn’t all bad. For some reason, neither of them could be turned around as long as they were outside. They had discovered this when they had gone on a trip to their nearby park. Normally, they would have to keep a close eye on Greg who had a tendency to wander off and get lost, but he always came right back and when he didn’t and his mother panicked, Wirt always knew where to find him. It was like the forest itself was bending to his whim and sent a resonance into his soul as to where all things were within the forest. Greg described it as knowing where everything was in a dollhouse. It sent a tremor through the elder boy, but he resolutely pushed the fear back, excusing the occurrence as that he and Greg were just better at navigating through the forest now since they had spent so much time in it before. He had even joked with the younger boy as to how he had become an expert at Greg tracking and his brother laughed. It was a good reason and that was what he stuck with, trying to assure himself and Greg that there was nothing wrong and smiling a bit as Greg thought of how cool it was. It was a relief to know that they would never be lost in the woods again and Wirt tried to take comfort in that.</p>
<p>Another oddity that they boys noticed was that they now attracted animals to themselves, though the most common occurrences were the neighborhood and woodland animals. Frogs absolutely adored Greg and Jason Funderburker and it was amazing to see the amount of frogs that were on the lawn even when they really should be hibernating. The same couldn’t be said for Wirt. He seemed to attract birds. The most common, much to his embarrassment, was bluebirds, though more than that popped up including a few owls. Greg commented excitedly that maybe he was being invited to a wizarding school, to which Wirt rolled his eyes and tried to shoo them away. Stubborn bluebirds always ended up staying, though. Maybe Beatrice matched what she was after all? A few of them even reminded him of her when he attempted to shoo them away and they cast an unimpressed look his way, refusing to leave. Either way, these were things that Wirt could handle. It was harmless and altogether inconsequential to their daily lives. This was fine. It was even something fun to show off on occasion.</p>
<p>But then the dreams began, and Wirt felt his heart clench in terror.</p>
<p>As December rolled in and the holidays began, he closed his eyes in the comfort of his home, glad for the short reprieve and the time to spend doing nothing and fell asleep. School had been stressful as usual, but he was getting better at the whole “friends” thing. The Unknown, if nothing else, definitely taught him a few things about not being a pushover and talking to people better, including Sara and her group of friends. Or, well, they were his friends now too. After Halloween and after he was cleared from the hospital, she and him had talked about the tape he left her and about his feeling towards her. Sadly, she didn’t really see him that way, though she appreciated the tape, and asked if they could still be friends. It was a bit of a blow to Wirt’s pride, but he agreed. She was still nice and funny and sweet and made him feel comfortable about his interests. In turn, she introduced him to her friends and they all hung out now and got along with Greg as well. It certainly did wonders for his self-confidence and it was a bonus that none of them made fun of his poetry and even encouraged him to enter writing competitions and to try out for band of which a few of them were a part of. It was…nice, to have people he could trust and relate to. He even ended up talking to Jason Funderberker. The human, not the frog. He still found himself bristling around the boy occasionally, but the boy was harmless, albeit good at a lot of things and fit in well with their friend group. His life was going well and both he and Greg seemed happier for it, settling back into their normal lives even as the falling snow settled around them and reminded them of their escape from the dark forest.</p>
<p>However, as sleep released its hold on him and he opened his eyes again, he found that he had woken up in a familiar dismal forest, though it looked different than when he and Greg had left. The change didn’t help though and sent him into a spiral of panic as he begged for this all to be a dream, pinching himself repeatedly to try and wake himself up from this nightmare. It didn’t work and only served to throw him deeper into the pit of fear with the pain punctuating the all too real reality of the situation. The world blurred black around the edges of his vision and the colder wind fluttered through his clothes. Shaking from both the fear and cold, he saw that his clothes were his Halloween costume which vaguely struck his hazy mind as odd since that wasn’t what he was wearing when he went to bed. This shook him enough for him to be able to survey his surroundings, lungs still heaving, but when he looked around the snow-covered ground, a flickering light caught his eye.</p>
<p>There, sitting innocently in the mouth of the yawning, twisted hollow of an Edelwood tree, was a lantern. It flickered warmly within the vessel, almost taunting the teen.</p>
<p>
  <em>There must always be a Beast in the Unknown.</em>
</p>
<p>A whisper. A fact. A promise. It flickered through his mind and that was it.<br/>
Wirt felt the world tilt and the black overtook his vision. He woke up screaming for the first time since he and his brother returned, heart thundering and mind whirling. His breathing erratic and his vision dark, he breathed out slowly and saw his breath coming out in a cloud of ice. The room  was almost frosted at first glance but disappeared when light was cast into the room.</p>
<p>“Wirt? Are you okay?” a small voice suddenly came from his door and he jerked his head to the entrance where a very tired looking Greg was rubbing his eyes, his other hand wrapping around his frog. Said frog also looked tired, but Wirt could have sworn it cast a worried look his way as well.</p>
<p>“I… I-I… Yeah. Y-Yeah, I’m fine…” Wirt croaked, the temperature slowly going back to what was normal.</p>
<p>“You sure, brother o’ mine?” Greg asked quietly, concern now taking over his soft, sleepy expression.</p>
<p>“Yeah, Greg. Just…just a nightmare. Go back to sleep.” He murmured reassuringly, though still a little breathless, and Greg hesitated before nodding, stepping out and closing the door behind him. With that, both boys lay down in bed, minds and hearts racing at their experience. Wirt tried his best to fall back asleep, hoping that he wouldn’t dream again while Greg could only stare at the ceiling, reeling and trying not to give in to fear. Wirt didn’t know it, but his eyes glowed in a similar way to the thing they feared the most. He wasn’t sure if his older brother knew yet and he didn’t know how to tell him if he didn’t.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, an older man stared in awe and horror as something that he had seen almost every day for many, many years and caused him many a headache along with a few nightmares <em>changed before his eyes</em>.</p>
<p>A single glyph on the cave wall, copied down meticulously in his notes, so out of place and seemingly unrelated to the rest of the symbols all bunched together was shifting and changing. In the previous month, he had noticed that the symbol had begun to blur around the edges. At first, he had thought that either he or his family had accidentally smudged it a bit. It wouldn’t be a surprise considering how old his notes were and how many of said family had handled the book, so he disregarded it and shelved his book again. But that wasn’t the only thing that had changed. A few days later when in his lab, he happened to glance over at his forgotten corkboard of notes and theories in the corner of the room and his heart leapt into his throat. That symbol had had its own little section when he had been studying it before dismissing it when nothing came of it. Looking at it now, though, all surfaces on which the symbol had been drawn on were smeared even worse than the one in his notes. Now he knew for a fact that something was going on. His family all knew that no one should touch his notes, even his brother and the man hadn’t even glanced that then through all the years of his absence, so he knew that this wasn’t their doing. The previous symbol was almost completely indiscernible and looked like it was shifting into something else. It worried him deeply since he knew that nothing like this had ever happened before. At least, not without some sort of outside interference and that couldn’t happen in his lab. He had fortified his home with everything he had against everything her could after the almost apocalypse not too long ago, so nothing unwanted should have been able to make it down to the basement without his knowledge. Nodding, he resolved to keep an eye on the symbol and hope that it meant nothing.</p>
<p>By the end of the month, the symbol had completely changed and the new shape that took its place filled his stomach with a sense of unease he hadn’t felt in a long time. He learned to trust his gut feelings like this and if the symbol changing by itself didn’t already concern him, then the feeling it gave off now absolutely left a pool of ice in his chest. Gathering up his courage, he walked upstairs to tell the rest of his family about his discovery and give some kind of warning. They would need to be watchful and wary of this new development. Nothing would endanger his family ever again.</p>
<p>Silently, the dark shape of a lantern filled the spaces on the papers, the center almost glowing brightly in mockery of a flame.</p>
<p>*</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And there it is<br/>Some things will be canon and other stuff not<br/>Cuz im lazy<br/>The story will get lighter from here on out<br/>Coming up with ideas as i go.<br/>Till next time, stay safe and stay true</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Hope is a Bird's Wings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Denial is a big thing, panic is a bigger thing, and sometimes you just need a hug and loving insults</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm not sure where this is going<br/>But my friends like it<br/>So we shall continue on<br/>And the time will come when I actually have to write poetry for Wirt<br/>*panicked whimpers*<br/>Anyway...<br/>I dont own Over the Garden Wall or Gravity Falls</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next few days for Wirt were…difficult. After the first week of his nightmares where he continued to wake up repeatedly in terror, he finally calmed down enough to continue the dream. He found that he always woke up in the same area as the lantern and the consistency of snow around the terrain always changed. That probably should have been his first clue that something was wrong and that all of that wasn’t just a dream, but he dismissed it. Every time he entered, he felt compelled to hold the lantern, the warmth seeming to seep back into him as soon as he made contact with the metal and a sinking feeling of realization curled in the pit of his stomach. He thought he heard whispers from the Edelwood trees he came across and fled from their gnarled, wooden faces of agony. The more he dreamt, the longer he stayed in the dream, the more he found himself wandering the forests of the Unknown, his feet following nonexistent trails until he reached familiar terrain. Or, what looked like familiar terrain. His body was so sure that it was familiar even when his mind was definitely unsure. Night fell and he continued walking, the light of the lantern guiding his path, though when he looked out into the darkness he left behind him without the flame to light the way, he found that light still shone and he could see just fine. The thought frightened him and he continued on, the snow crunching under his feet. He traveled on through the morning, not feeling an inch of fatigue as he did so, another piece of the puzzle his brain wasn’t quite understanding due to the thick layer of denial blocking its completion.</p><p>He continued on like this for about a week, completely isolated from any form of civilization, though he could swear his could hear whispers coming from around him. It set him on edge, but every time he turned to look, there was nothing there. He had picked a direction at random, hoping to find somewhere familiar, though some corner that he assumed was the one that wouldn’t get him lost was assuring him that he was headed in the right direction. With no way to be sure at all and still half convinced that this was all just some terrible dream, he persisted on as the days and nights passed, the ever present woods of the Unknown passing by in a blur of the same. Things passed by unchanged as he picked his way through the mist and gnarls of tree roots when things finally changed. Just as he stumbled into a thinner area of trees which seemed to lead to a clearing and almost passed the treeline, his heart caught in his throat at the sight before him. It was the old mill that he and Greg had first come across. It looked better than when they left it, the giant holes and broken wood of the building having been mended. It was definitely a sign that time had passed and from the looks of the smoke billowing from the chimney, the Woodsman was still there. But as he took a step to enter the clearing, his vision blurred before rapidly going to black and he felt a persistent tugging at his chest, leading back into the mist. He blinked rapidly as the dark took over the last thing he saw was the flickering lantern tumbling from his hands.</p><p>When he opened his eyes again, he found that he was back in his bed, his body angled towards the window. Blinking away the morning sunlight streaming through, he felt confusion seep into his brain, the dregs of sleep and the sensation of the cold still clinging to his hay mind, but there was also relief as he finished waking up. He wasn’t in the Unknown. He was home, safely in his room. He had beaten he Beast and escaped the Unknown with Greg. They hadn’t even gone near the cemetery wall since Halloween, so there was no way he’d have gone back. It was all just a very long dream. It was just an extension of the nightmares he had been dealing with before, though a bit tamer than usual. He wasn’t very surprised he still thought of the Unknown, though a little bit disturbed. He had read about traumas sticking with a person for years afterwards and the teen supposed that it was just his mind’s way of dealing with it. And people had had long dreams before, right? So, there was probably nothing to worry about. With his reassurances, Wirt sighed and got up, already hearing the telltale signs of the household awakening and got ready to face the day. Putting on clothes and attempting his best to manage his hair, he looked deeply at himself in the mirror and tried to convince himself of his thoughts.</p><p><em>‘It’s fine. I’ll be fine. I can deal with this. It was just a dream after all. They’re just dreams.’</em> He thought to himself and left the bathroom, heading downstairs to his family and if he just so happened to hug his brother extra tightly and a little bit longer than usual, it was nobody’s business but his own. Not even his mother and stepfather’s surprised looks or Greg’s knowing one would make him say anything about it. It was only a dream after all. They would fade away soon enough.</p><p>But fate was rarely kind, and as night fell and he lay down to sleep after a long day of snowball fights with his friends and Greg, he fell into darkness and his eyes opened again to the snow-covered lands of the Unknown. He was back where he was before he had woken up, the mill before him, though now thoroughly buried in snow whereas before it had only been an inch or two. Winter’s chill bit through him and he shivered slightly. The cold seemed to not only tear through his clothes and into his skin but seemed to wrack tremors through his very being. Looking around, he found that the lantern was once again there, though its flame was now flickering wildly as if it were the rapid beating heart of a frightened bird. He wasn’t sure why he picked it up again, he really should have just left the dumb thing there to rust in the snow after all the trouble and terror it and its owner had caused him, but something in him told him that he should. Against his better judgement, he stepped forward and stretched his hand out.</p><p>Once again, as soon as the flesh of his palm made contact with the cold metal, a warmth spread through his chest, erasing whatever chill he felt from the wind entirely. Deep down, he knew t was odd that there was something wrong with that feeling but he didn’t want to think about the implications of what this could mean and tried to reason away his relief. He couldn’t go without light, now could he? Right? Right. He just needed it as a light source. The forest of the Unknown was very dark, so he needed that. Maybe it could also count as a spoil of war? This was the only remnant left of the Beast other than the possible Edelwood trees still around, but he wasn’t going out of his way to look for those, so the lantern would do. Not that he really thought of it as a trophy, defeated monster or not. But it still didn’t explain his hesitance of leaving the light behind, especially since he and Greg had made their way through the Unknown just fine without it. Pushing down the feelings and unsettling thoughts, he trudged forward through the snow with less effort than he thought it would take and knocked on the door rapidly. Walking through the snow, he saw the lights in the house flickering cheerily in contrast with the snow clouded sky and it brought hope to him that there were people inside. Maybe it was the Woodsman? And his daughter if she had gotten released by the Beast after his defeat. Hopefully the man would let him in to stay for a while. This was his dream, so he should let Wirt stay, but the teen hadn’t had such a vivid dream before. This was all new to him and he was half expecting Beatrice to fly to him out of nowhere and start nagging him. </p><p>After a few moments of not receiving an answer, he knocked again more tentatively this time, looking at the setting sun behind him warily. He may not have been as bothered by the cold as he thought he should have been, dream or no dream, but that didn’t mean he wanted to spend any more time there than necessary out in the snow with the amount of bad memories it caused. Winter at home was one thing, but winter in his dream of the Unknown brought up fear and anxiety. Finally, after another few moments of waiting, there was a sign of life from inside and Wirt heard voices coming from inside, though none of them he could identify. There was what sounded like a bit of a scuffle on the other side of the door along with the barking of a dog and before he knew it, the door swung open and three red haired boys of various ages peered up at him, eyes wide in curiosity.</p><p>“Who is it?”</p><p>“Who’re you?”</p><p>“You’re wearing weird clothes.”</p><p>“Where’d you come from?”</p><p>“Why’re you here?”</p><p>The flood of questions mixed with the barking of the very familiar looking dog set Wirt completely on edge and he was floundering for an answer when the boys and dog were moved aside, a plump woman taking their place and frowning at them.</p><p>“Joseph! Donald! Thomas! What did I tell you about harassing people at the door?! And what did I tell you about letting the dog loose inside the house?” she yelled at them in annoyance and moved the grinning boys out of the way. They let out a cacophony of answers before grinning and scampering off into the house again. Her frown melted into a smile as she turned back to look him over.</p><p>“And who might you be, dear? I can’t imagine you’ve come from far in this snow, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around before?’ she asked and Wirt floundered again, mouth agape.</p><p>“Well?” she asked again and Wirt scrambled for words, his face flushed a little in embarrassment.</p><p>“Oh, um, sorry, I, uh, I was a-actually looking for the Woodsman? I-I thought he lived here, but I guess I made a mistake.” He stuttered shyly and the woman simply blinked in surprise and confusion.</p><p>“The Woodsman? He hasn’t been here in, well, almost three years. He moved away with his daughter some time ago.” He said and Wirt’s eyebrows shot up in shock. What? Three years? That long? Then again, he and Greg thought they spent quite a long time in the Unknown while in all actuality, it had only been a few minutes while they were drowning in the lake.</p><p>“Oh, come inside, won’t you, dear? It’s freezing out there and we can’t have you be lost in the dark!” she said and ushered him in. The teen nodded numbly before stepping in and closing the door behind him.</p><p>“Thank you, ma’am.” He said politely and she smiled, ushering him over to the fire and grabbing a blanket to throw over him.</p><p>“It’s no trouble. And just call me Peony. No need to be so formal.” She chided and he nodded, curling into the warm cloth.</p><p>“My name is Wirt.” He said softly and she nodded in acknowledgement.</p><p>“There we are. Warm up by the fire and I’ll get you something hot to drink as well.” She said cheerfully and bustled off into a different room. Wirt stood with the blanket around his shoulders and lantern still in hand, completely bewildered at what to do. Whatever plans he had for finding the Woodsman and now he didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know these people and he didn’t quite know who else to go to. Maybe he would head to Pottsfield when it was daylight out? The giant maypole pumpkin may be able to help him… but then again, why was he worried? If this was really all just a dream, albeit a very realistic one, then there was nothing to look forward to. He was right now at home, in bed, sleeping, so he shouldn’t be worried as to what came next. Still, the thought couldn’t leave his brain and he continued to plan. After a few minutes, the woman came back out again holding a steaming cup.</p><p>“It’s just tea, but it definitely warms you.” She said gently, handing over the cup and he took it gratefully.</p><p>“Now, my family will be down in a minute for dinner and I won’t lie, there are quite a few of them. Please don’t be intimidated, though. They’re rambunctious, but harmless.” She said reassuringly at the panicked look on the teen’s face. Wirt may have gotten a bit better at socially interacting, but being in a stranger’s house, surrounded by a bunch of family made his heart jolt with anxiety. Trust him to still be socially anxious even in a dream, he thought to himself despairingly. Turning his attention back to the woman, again, he nodded and clutched at the blanket around his shoulders, managing to slide off his cape and take off his hat, though he kept the lantern in hand. The woman smiled in understanding and walked off into what he assumed was the dining room, leaving him to his own devices. Wirt shivered, though not from cold, and stared into the fire, taking the moment of silence to calm himself, his free hand over his chest. He felt the thundering of his heart under his fingertips and it oddly made him calm down. Sadly, just as his heart resumed a more normal rhythm, the thunderous sound of many feet coming down the stairs and loud children’s voices ringing down the halls.</p><p>“Joseph! Donald! Thomas! What have I told you about running?!” Wirt heard the woman yell from the kitchen, and was met with a chorus of “Sorry, mom!”, and the steps became quieter. Wirt could hear a few more voices drift in, the woman calling for Daisy and Emma to get their father from outside and then a few more minutes of commotion. The clink of plates and silverware and the voice of an older man was heard before the woman spoke again.</p><p>“Now, as some of you may know, we have a visitor, so don’t overwhelm him.” she said warningly, much to the protest of some of the kids, but fell to silence again. After a moment walked into the room again and smiled, gestured for him to follow her. Wirt nodded and placed the blanket on the couch before grabbing his hat and cloak and following the woman to the dining room. The cup was still in his hands. Upon entering, he saw an older looking man with dark brown hair sitting at the dining table with six red-haired children, with the eldest being a girl that looked a little older than him. After that were the three boys Wirt had seen answer the door and two younger girls he could only conclude were Daisy and Emma.</p><p>“Everyone, this is Wirt. He’ll be with us at least till the morning. Please behave around him. Wirt, this is my husband Matthew and my children.” she said and Wirt waved nervously at them, trying his best to prevent the blood rising to his face.</p><p>“Um, h-hi, everyone…” he said softly, not daring to meet anyone’s eye. There was a sudden loud clanging as a cup went crashing to the ground and all eyes went to the eldest child who was staring with wide eyes.</p><p>“Wirt?!” the girl shrieked and Wirt’s eyes finally looked up to meet hers. The voice and deep brown of her eyes seemed familiar, but Wirt couldn’t quite place it.</p><p>“Beatrice! Clean that up right now! What has gotten into you?” Peony scolded her daughter, but the girl wasn’t moving, her body frozen and eyes affixed to him. Wirt felt his breath catch in his throat as it finally clicked in his brain. That voice, those eyes, the big family. It was Beatrice. The last he had seen her, he and Greg were leaving and had only stopped to give her the scissors. He had thought about her later, wondering if she had managed to break her spell and save her family, but to see her now, alive and well, almost sent Wirt to the ground with relief.</p><p>“B-Beatrice… Beatrice!” he whispered before saying it louder, taking a half step towards her. Having the same idea, but more initiative, the girl bolted around the table and tackled him in a hug. The others in the room could only stare in silence, struck dumb.</p><p>“Wirt! I thought you left! Why are you here?! Where’s Greg?!” came the flood of questions from the girl as she held him tightly. Wirt held her back just as tightly, taking comfort at the feeling of her alive and breathing, her breath and heartbeat reminding him of the beat of her bluebird wings.</p><p>“I…I’m so glad you’re okay. You and your family. It’s so weird seeing you as a human instead of a bird…” he murmured softly, but Beatrice’s mother still heard and gasped. The entire family went quiet.</p><p>“How does he know about that?” she asked and the taller girl pulled away, looking at her mother.</p><p>“I know Wirt. He and his brother helped me three years ago when we were bluebirds. He gave me the scissors before he and his brother left.” Beatrice explained and the family burst out into a cacophony of noise.</p><p>“That was you?!”</p><p>“Wow!”</p><p>“That’s amazing!”</p><p>“Thank you so much!”</p><p>“Where have you been?”</p><p>“Can we have a party?”</p><p>The voices swelled and Wirt shrank from the noise, anxiety washing over him and threatening to sweep him under as he realized that he didn’t know how to answer any of that without being tongue-tied. The taller girl noticed immediately and signaled her parents who snapped out of their shock and began to quiet the rest of their children.</p><p>“Now, now. What did I say about behaving?!” Peony shouted at them and the children immediately quieted, though the enthusiasm still gleamed in their eyes. Beatrice nodded in understanding, placing a comforting hand on Wirt’s shoulder and he took a breath to steady himself.</p><p>“Alright, now please take a set. Dinner is all set and I think this is a story we all want to hear.” Peony said warmly and Wirt nodded, taking a seat while Beatrice sat next to him and he began his tale.</p><p>*</p><p>As night wore on and Wirt lay on the couch with the fire dwindling beside him, the teen felt more relieved than anything, but the fear still lingered in the back of his mind. The entire time that he was telling his story from beginning to end, it felt…therapeutic to tell someone and they had been a rather receptive audience. There had, of course, been a bit of confusion as to where he came from, though surprisingly not to what his suspicions of what the Unknown truly was. They knew that they had died. They remembered but decided to remain there in the Unknown to be together. But they <em>were</em> definitely surprised to learn that he was, to the best of his knowledge, still alive, but all stiffened at the mention of the Beast and the lantern Wirt now carried. Beatrice looked heartbroken at the mention of his possible fate as the new lanternbearer. At the end of his tale, ending with him winding up there, the adults announced that it was time for bed and the children were ushered up to their rooms, their minds filled with his story and promised to speak more about his situation in the morning. His mind buzzed, the denial banished from his heart and leaving him with the drained understanding that this was no dream. This was reality, or at least an approximated version of reality, and he was back in the Unknown. Groaning softly, he threw an arm over his eyes and took measured breaths to curb the growing ice in his stomach. There was a sudden creak from the house and Wirt looked up to see the familiar red hair and a flash of blue.</p><p>“Beatrice?” he whispered and the girl nodded, crossing the space between them and settling on the couch beside him. Wirt sat up and there was a moment of uncomfortable silence between them, the dying fire crackling as if to emphasize the mild discomfort between them. Finally, Beatrice broke the quiet.</p><p>“Are you…are you doing okay?” she asked quietly, concerned eyes turned his way. Wirt flinched at the question, his mind flashing through a symphony of worries and fears and doubts, all a swirling mass with the lantern and the Beast serving as the eye of the hurricane. Beatrice gasped a little as the normal grey irises of the boy’s eyes flickered to familiar iridescent shades as they narrowed and he curled in on himself.</p><p>“I… No. I don’t think I am…” he whispered softly, wrapping his arms around himself and staring resolutely into the fire. “I-I thought that when we left, we wouldn’t have to come back here. At least not till we were old. B-b-but now I am and I don’t know what’s happening to me. It isn’t happening to Greg, which is good, but why me? Was it because I blew out the lantern? Is that why its, just, kinda sticking with me? Is that why it’s there every time I wake up?” he whispered frantically, his words coming out faster, spilling from his lips even as he felt oxygen failing to return to his lungs. Beatrice would only watch in muted horror as the shadows cast by the fire grew, spreading into the silhouette of a being with glowing eyes and branching horns. His eyes settled from their flickering to the bright glow of red, yellow, and blue and he was trembling.</p><p>“I don’t know what to do.” He whispered quietly as if he hadn’t meant to say it aloud and that’s what broke Beatrice from her fear. Behind his changes into what was inevitable, was the boy that she had watched grow and had helped guide through the Unknown. He hadn’t changed no matter what he was turning into now. Narrowing her eyes in determination, she gently placed her hands on either side of his face, turning him to face her and staring into his glowing eyes.</p><p>“Wirt, listen to me. Are you listening?” She asked sternly and her tone of voice seemed to pull him out of his spiral. Eyes focused solely on her and she resisted the chill down her spine.</p><p>“Good. Now, listen to me. Whatever is happening isn’t your fault. If you keep ending up here, that also means you’ll go back when you wake up so don’t worry about that. As for the lantern and why this is happening, I can’t explain that, but we have time to figure it out. You’ll have me and my family and whatever other dorks you guys met before to help too, so you’re not alone.” She said firmly, though a gentle fondness still in her voice as she worked to break through to him. To her relief, it seemed to be working. The boy was slowly becoming less rigid under her fingers, the shadows were returning to normal, and the glow of his eyes were dimming back to his original grey.</p><p>“But what if something else happens? I…I-I’m hearing voices… sometimes… i-in the woods, wh-when I, um, f-first came back, I heard a voice in my mind. It said that there must always be a Beast in the Unknown. What…what if it’s me? I-I-I don’t think I could handle that…” he whispered in a rush and Beatrice could hear his breaths get faster. A fierce determination took hold of her heart and she let go of his face to pull the younger teen into a quick hug, holding on tightly.</p><p>“Cheese and crackers, Wirt. You’re still as much of a worry wart as you were before you left.” She muttered, though not unkindly. She sighed and rubbed his back comfortingly.</p><p>“That won’t happen. I know it won’t because no matter what, you’ll still be the same clarinet playing, poetry loving, dorky, stubborn jerk of a pushover and wonderful mistake of nature you always have been. Nothing will change that. Not even if you have the Beast's powers. You’re still you and I’ll help you through that.” she whispered quietly into the air, glaring at the writhing shadow behind him as it looked at her with glowing eyes. In her arms, Wirt shuddered and held her back just as tightly, the bluebird beat of her heart calming him down and he felt himself relax, his eyes drooping with the exhaustion of letting out all his worry. Beatrice was right. He wouldn’t let the Beast win. Not then and not now, no matter what was happening to him. He would get through this and return home like last time. No matter how many times he woke up in the Unknown, he would always find his way back.</p><p>“I’m not a pushover.” Wirt spoke finally, aiming to break the tension. He heard Beatrice snort and he smiled a little to himself, glad that she understood.</p><p>“Yeah you are. I mean you’re still taking orders from me, aren’t you?” she joked, pulling away from their embrace and a smirk now on her face. Yes. That snark and sarcasm definitely suited her better than worry. Beatrice wasn’t one who would usually worry.</p><p>“That’s different.” Wirt pouted in response, trying not to smile. Beatrice laughed softly and smacked his arm.</p><p>“Brat.” She huffed. There was a moment of silence before they broke into quiet giggles, the tension in the room erased. Wirt smothered his giggles and wiped his eyes, the tears threatening to spill over earlier turning into tears of laughter. Looking at Beatrice, he smiled warmly. He was so glad to have a friend like her. He was ecstatic that the scissors had worked and that he had played a part in bringing her and her family together again. They seemed nice when they first met as bluebirds, though they seemed to not remember him now. But that was fine. He could build new bonds with them and hopefully they would help him as well.</p><p>“So you feeling better now?” Beatrice asked and Wirt nodded, shifting away from his inner thoughts.</p><p>“Yeah. Thanks, Beatrice. I really needed that.” he said quietly.</p><p>“Anytime.” She nodded, voice uncharacteristically soft. Wirt smiled and waved his hand imperiously, shooing her off the couch.</p><p>“Now off to bed with you, young lady! What would your parents think?” he said, voice still quiet so as not to rouse the house. Beatrice rolled her eyes, scoffing but complied and got up.</p><p>“Is that any way to talk to the person who just talk you out of your depressive spiral?” she snorted playfully and Wirt chuckled again. The girl turned to leave, whispering a good night as she did and disappeared back into the darkness of the house.</p><p>“Good night, Beatrice.” He murmured quietly before lying down again, staring up to the ceiling. His eyes fluttered closed and he sighed in relief, glad that the girl had come down to talk with him. Admittedly, this was something very legitimate to freak out about, but now he knew that he shouldn’t be as worried, because he had friends here. Friends who, for all their oddness, he knew would help him. Well, maybe not the archetype people at the tavern, but everyone else would. Beatrice and her family would. He wasn’t alone in this. Even as this bled into the land of the living, he knew that Greg would be there to support him. That brave, silly seven-year-old would suck up his own fear of the Beast and do his best to cheer on and comfort the brother he loved. And Wirt, for his part, would try and make this transition into a new normal as painless as possible. He wasn’t promising not to freak out, because that was who he was, but he would at least attempt to curb his panic before it became a burden on those who were just trying to help him. Taking a deep breath, he let his mind wander back to home and thought of nothing but the snow. From beside him, just out of arms reach, the lantern flickered serenely, taking in the dying light of the fireplace.</p><p>*</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Time skips after this cuz the in between is boring.<br/>Kinda.<br/>Maybe I'll make a side story at a later time<br/>The first stop was the Unknown<br/>Next stop: Gravity Falls<br/>Till next chapter, stay safe and stay true</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. On the Subject of Change...</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Things are only difficult if you make them and timeskips are a thing. Get ready for a roadatrip, children!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I honestly never expected this to get read.<br/>Its a bit baffling<br/>Glad y'all like it and hope this isnt awkward as all hell<br/>It probably still is<br/>Even my brain wasnt expecting this<br/>I dont own Over the Garden Wall or Gravity Falls</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The learning curve for his new normal was…interesting to say the least. He spent close to a week in the Unknown with Beatrice and her family, though mostly in the forest so as not to freak out her parents. It was there that he learned that his more…otherworldly features came out when he was upset, which then served to upset him more and it took a few minutes for Beatrice to calm him down again. Out of curiosity and a little bit of fear, they felt beneath the curls of his dark brown hair to see if there were any signs of the antlers the Beast had, and to Wirt’s horror and mortification, he felt little nubs growing from the sides of his head. Beatrice simply snorted and compared him to a newborn faun. The subject then came up of the lantern. Both looked at it in contempt since it was a source of so much of their fears.</p>
<p>“So, do you really think that your soul is in there?” Beatrice asked quietly as she looked at the flickering light behind the glass. Wirt looked at the flame nervously before nodding. Since he had gotten there, he felt eerily attached to the lantern in his hands, and if that was any indication, then the whispering he occasionally heard from the trees definitely settled the matter.</p>
<p>“Yeah. It is.” He said softly and Beatrice nodded somberly. Both knew what that meant. The most horrific thing about his nature was now he would have to depend on the oil of Edelwood trees to survive and their source wasn’t the most pleasant of things. Wirt’s skin crawled at the very notion of what he may have to do to survive and the girl patted his back sympathetically. For now, they pushed the thought into the back of their minds. They would find whatever Edelwoods left over from the previous Beast and use Beatrice’s mill to process it like the Woodsman had. For now, though, they focused on other aspects of his powers which still included his odd animal attracting ability that Beatrice laughed at when he mentioned his affinity to birds in particular. That power, though, served to comfort him in that with the old Beast, whenever he was there, it seemed that the area itself was devoid of life. Beatrice only smiled and teased that his poet soul was drawing them there, but both were relieved. If nothing else, it served as a reminder that while Wirt may have the Beast’s powers, they were not the <em>same</em>. Something else that Wirt found out was that he could cloak himself in pure shadow with only his eyes to provide light, much like his predecessor. It freaked them both out but was highly useful when it came to hiding and also <em>teleporting to different points of the Unknown</em>. It was almost something straight out of a horror film and explained as to how the Beast could seemingly appear out of nowhere. Suffice to say, discoveries were made and in between blinking in the Unknown and waking up to the morning light filtering in through his bedroom window, it was difficult to keep track of which reality he was in when he awoke.</p>
<p>A transition period was the best way he could describe this part of his life. It was a bit stressful and jarring and confusing as he switched between realities and realized that time was inconsequential in the Unknown. They lived in perpetual stillness since they were already dead, so the passing of seasons were only important for the holidays and crop gathering. Due to the growing confusion, Wirt started keeping a notebook with him to track the days and give him reminders as to what was going on. To his surprise, it seemed like if he slept with an object in hand and had the desire to bring the object with him, they would also show up with him in the Unknown. The same was true in reverse. It was startling, but useful and made his life easier when waking up again. Sadly, the transition not only affected him mentally and emotionally, it also attracted plenty of attention from his family. He was already under scrutiny for how different he now treated Greg. It was a welcome change, but Wirt swore that his mom sprinkled holy water on him one morning during breakfast. They weren’t really religious, it was more of a habit from his Irish grandparents and great grandparents than anything else, but it was the principle of the matter. Either way, his stepfather snickered and Greg asked if it was alright if he could splash water on Wirt too.</p>
<p>Speaking of Greg, the boy immediately caught on to his elder brother’s weird behavior. It was almost impossible for Wirt to keep anything from the child, especially since he knew that the younger boy only wanted to help and keep him safe, but Wirt didn’t want to scare him. Wirt now knew from experience and a general curiosity that he could manifest his more supernatural traits into reality and it sent him into a small panic attack in the bathroom that made him realize that his eyes were glowing brightly and his anxiety was what was making it manifest. After riding it out and calming down, his eyes dulled back to their normal grey and left him paranoid as to when it would happen again. He didn’t know when his eyes would flare at school or around Greg and that made him avoid his family for a while until he had another talk with Beatrice. The girl simply rolled her eyes and smacked him upside the head.</p>
<p>“Oww! What was that for?!” he complained, rubbing his head and she continued to glare at him.</p>
<p>“You doofus. You need to tell him or you’ll only make him more worried.” She huffed and he looked down and shook his head.</p>
<p>“I-If it tell him, he’ll only be more scared. I promised him that the Beast wouldn’t come back and now…that’s…it’s…what I am.” He said quietly, hands clenched and trembling at his hides. His mind flashed back to their moment in the hospital. The small boy had expressed his hidden fear so well. Until that moment, Wirt hadn’t known that Greg had realized the true danger he was in. The boy had such a positive outlook on their time in the Unknown and looked jovial through most of it, even when facing down the Beast. Wirt thought that the seven-year-old just didn’t understand what was going on, but Greg was much smarter than his brother gave him credit for. That moment told Wirt everything. Greg was strong and silly and brave because that was how he could process what was happening. He took enjoyment where he could because everything else was terrifying. He may not have had the full understanding of how the Beast was tricking him or how exactly to escape, but he knew that something bad was happening and that the Unknown wasn’t where they were supposed to be. Still, throughout all that, he never lost hope. Not like Wirt did. Greg had explained to him in the early hours of the morning when he snuck into the teenager’s bed after a nightmare what had happened in the time he went missing. The Queen of Clouds, his chance to escape, his wish for Wirt, and the ultimate deal with the Beast in an attempt at release. Wirt shuddered and hugged the boy tightly through whispered apologies and sobs. That wonderful, kind child had been willing to throw away every chance he had to let his older brother go free and Wirt had never felt lower. He promised again to himself that night that he wouldn’t allow his little brother to feel such terror ever again.</p>
<p>Beatrice stifled a sigh at her friend’s drama, but she understood where he was coming from. Her siblings, as much as they annoyed her, she would defend with her life and she knew that Wirt was the same with Greg. Still, she highly doubted that the boy would reject his brother over this and she opened her mouth to say as much.</p>
<p>“Wirt, if nothing else along your little adventure, I’d like to think that I got to know your brother pretty well. Does he seem like the type to be afraid of his dorky older brother? He’s much braver than you and as soon as he figures out that you’re the same lame guy, he’ll be fine.” She said gruffly, placing her hands on his shoulders. Wirt trembled under her hands and shook his head again.</p>
<p>“But what if he doesn’t? He was so scared, Beatrice! I-I-I don’t think I could handle it if he looked at me like he looked at the Beast…” he whispered sadly, his eyes now flickering with pearlescent colors. He could feel the black hazing over the edges of his vision as his breathing got more ragged and for a moment, he felt himself between asleep and awake, his awareness torn between his in the Unknown body and his body in the living world from the stress he felt.</p>
<p>“Oh, no you don’t! You’re not waking up till we’ve finished this conversation!” Beatrice called out, now crushing the shorter teen in a bear hug that knocked the breath out of him. In retrospect, that really should not have worked, but it did and when his vision cleared and air was properly flowing through his lungs, all he saw were the red curls of Beatrice’s hair.</p>
<p>“S-s-sorry…” he mumbled and clung tightly to her desperately as if she was his center of gravity and without her, he could be left to drift out into the vast sky or sink into the cold ground.</p>
<p>“Don’t apologize for that. I get that you’re worried, even if I think it’s over nothing.” She murmured back, her grip not loosening, but she was now rubbing soothing circles over his spine.</p>
<p>“It’s not nothing. Its Greg.” Wirt protested and Beatrice shook her head.</p>
<p>“You’re underestimating him. The kid’s got an unhealthy hero worship of you and I really doubt that a little thing like accidentally getting a freaky wooden death spirit’s powers is gonna deter him. He’s way more persistent than that.” he huffed, chuckling over her thoughts. In the time she got to know the two boys, she had tried her best not to get attached to them, but she had and thought of the boy as one of her own little brothers. He was charming in his odd childlike logic, was loyal to a fault, and his positivity was endearing. Even when she betrayed him, she knew he would forgive her and it made her guilty to think of afterwards. The boy was strong and resilient and there was no way he would be afraid. Not of Wirt. Never of Wirt.</p>
<p>“Just trust me and tell him. I guarantee he won’t be afraid. And if he is and things don’t go well, I’ll help you run away or something, okay?” she asked and Wirt blinked in surprise, pulling away from her embrace.</p>
<p>“Wait, what?” he asked, startled, but the iridescent colors were gone now.</p>
<p>“I mean, it would be kind of pathetic to run away from a seven-year-old, but I wouldn’t put it past you. Don’t think you’d make it very far either, but hey, you’re a stubborn jerk who beat a monster, so who knows? Still, running away from a kid is pretty lame. And that kid is also Greg, so I think he’d find you pretty easy too.” She continued on as Wirt started to sputter in indignation. There we go. Rile him up. If the gentle approach wasn’t breaking through to him, she would appeal to his stubborn streak. That and she was out of sentimental words for the week. She swore this kid was making her soft.</p>
<p>“Wh-what? No I wouldn’t! I would just, y’know, never talk to him again. Like, ever.” He stammered and Beatrice rolled her eyes, hand on her hips.</p>
<p>“You really think that’s gonna work with Greg? The human chatterbox and friend machine? Yeah, that’s definitely not gonna work.” She scoffed and Wirt sighed, nodding in agreement and kicking at the snow at his feet. She was right. Scared or not, repulsed or not, there was no stopping Gregory Cowan from opening his mouth and commenting about whatever was on his mind. The only times that Wirt had ever heard the boy silent was when he was either eating or sleeping and even then he still had a propensity to open his mouth and let sound come out.</p>
<p>“You’re right, you’re right… I just…I’m trying to be a good big brother to make up for the terrible one I’ve been for <em>half</em> of my life and <em>all</em> of his life. I just don’t want to scare him and never get the chance to make it up to him…” he said softly and Beatrice nodded.</p>
<p>“And you will. Just tell him the truth. He won’t leave you.” He said firmly and Wirt took a deep breath, feeling himself being firmly settled into the Unknown again, the edges of his vision clearing and he nodded.</p>
<p>“You’re right. I’ll…tell him…. He deserves to know.” He relented and Beatrice nodded in agreement, patting his shoulder.</p>
<p>“Of course I’m right. My ideas are always right.” She said and Wirt rolled his eyes.</p>
<p>“Adelaide was a good idea?” he asked and the girl’s cheeks flushed bright red.</p>
<p>“Ok, but that was once!” she argued and Wirt’s skepticism shot through the metaphorical roof along with his eyebrow.</p>
<p>“Getting turned into a bird, stealing from Endicott, sneaking onto the frog ferry…” he trailed on and the elder girl growled and slapped a hand over his smirking mouth.</p>
<p>“Hush. We don’t talk about those! And don’t chance the subject! We’re talking about you and Greg.” She said sternly, though the blush remained on her face and was now going to the tips of her ears. The mention of the subject at hand was sobering though and the smile soon faded from the boy’s face.</p>
<p>“I need to tell him.” he said quietly, resigned to his fate. Around them, the Unknown swayed with a phantom breeze, the snow blanketing whatever noise there might have been.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>Wirt felt nauseous and he jittered in place on his bed. He had woken up that day with full determination to tell Greg about him, but that resolve was shaken as soon as he saw the boy at the table for breakfast. He had since shut himself up in his room, pacing nervously and trying not to imagine how much his eyes were glowing. He wanted to tell him. He <em>needed</em> to tell him. but the doubt still lingered in the back of his mind. Luckily, or unluckily for his nerves, his indecisiveness was no match for the curiosity and worry of a seven-year-old. The light knocking on the door was the only warning the teen got before the child burst into his room with all the enthusiasm and eagerness of a puppy.</p>
<p>“Wirt! Wirt! This is urgent business! Jason Funderburker is in need of your affection cuz it’s been so long!” the boy yelled, holding the frog up and waving him in his elder brother’s face.</p>
<p>“Wait-Greg-what?” Wirt stuttered and Greg climbed up on the bed, seating himself next to the other with a look of exasperation on his youthful face.</p>
<p>“We want to spend time in you! You’ve been in here so long, I thought you’d have grown a long white beard! Like Santa! Or a really old guy!” the boy exclaimed and Wirt rolled his eyes, chuckling.</p>
<p>“I haven’t been in here that long. I can’t grow a beard that fast!” he disputed and Greg looked at him skeptically, poking an inquisitive finger at his chin. Wirt pushed his hand away but the boy was persistent, continuing to poke him till Wirt was now actively trying to wrestle him to the bed in order to poke his chin. It sent both of them into a fit of giggles and they heard Jason Funderburker croak along with them. Finally they stopped to catch their breaths, the remnants of laughter leaving them.</p>
<p>“So, can you tell me why you’re not happy now?” Greg suddenly asked and Wirt froze in place but tried his best to force his body to relax and sound nonchalant.</p>
<p>“Wha-what do you mean? I, uh, I’m fine. It’s just the whole snow on the ground thing is all!” he squeaked, failing at looking casual. Greg didn’t look convinced and sat on his chest.</p>
<p>“Are you mad at me again?” he asked quietly and Wirt shot up immediately, practically bowling the boy off him before he snatched him close to hug him.</p>
<p>“What?! Of course not!” he shouted and Greg hugged him back tightly.</p>
<p>“So why are you sad?” the boy asked and Wirt took a breath, steeling what nerves he had and looking the boy dead in the eye.</p>
<p>“I-I’m not sad. Just a little, um…scared? I guess? But it’s nothing to do with you!  You didn’t do anything wrong.” Wirt said frantically, the words tumbling out in a rush. Greg, for his part, simply looked confused.</p>
<p>“Greg, I promised I’d protect you no matter what. I don’t want to scare you, but I-I-I think you need to know…”he said quietly and Greg’s eyes seemed to light up in understanding.</p>
<p>“Oh. Is it about how you have the same pretty eyes the Beast had?” he asked innocently end Wirt nodded before freezing.</p>
<p>“Exact-wait, what? You know about that?” Wirt gasped and Greg snorted with laughter.</p>
<p>“Yupp! I saw your eyes when I woke you up a while ago, but you didn’t know yet. I’m glad you do now. Why do you have them? Do I have them? Are my eyes beautiful too?” the boy asked curiously, mind now wandering off in his own world and hugging his frog in contemplation. Wirt felt whatever tension and anxiety he had wash out of him, leaving him limp and almost collapsing back onto his bed. For lack of a better word, he was stunned. Greg knew? He had known for a long time and hadn’t said anything just to make Wirt comfortable.</p>
<p>He really did have the best brother, though he didn’t appreciate the anxiety that came from all of this.</p>
<p>“Why didn’t you tell me before? Weren’t you scared?” Wirt asked in a breathless rush, hugging his brother tightly. Greg looked up at him and shrugged, though he had a serious look on his face.</p>
<p>“I didn’t want to scare you. You were already not sleeping, so I didn’t want to make it worse.” the boy said simply and Wirt could only blink in shock.</p>
<p>“You…you weren’t scared? Of, y’know, what I am? Of my eyes?” the teen asked softly and Greg’s eyebrows scrunched a little in confusion and contemplation.</p>
<p>“Why would I be? I think you were more scared than I was.” Greg said innocently and once again, Wirt hugged the younger boy close, giving him a comforting squeeze.</p>
<p>“Thank you…” he whispered and Greg hugged back tightly, enjoying the affection and patting his brother’s back.</p>
<p>“No need to thank me, brother o’ mine!” he said cheerfully, but there was also relief running through his tiny body. He knew that the Beast was gone, the faint memories of his semi-conscious state echoing with the dying screams of the monster as its soul was snuffed out reminding him every time he dared remember it, but he wouldn’t deny that the glowing eyes of his brother had worried him. Now he knew that he shouldn’t have worried. Beast or not, weird tree powers or not, this was still his older, worried brother and nothing would change that.</p>
<p>“So does that mean you can be a tree now? Can you turn other people into trees? You really shouldn’t do that cuz it’s not nice.” Greg asked, continuing on with his musings as Wirt could only listen and laugh, the relief leaving him lose and willing to muse with him about his newfound powers.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>The next two years until the next big change in the brothers’ lives was a series of highs and lows filled with making better friends, two different comings out and the parties that came afterwards, meeting witches, learning magic, and turning said friends into a makeshift witch coven. Turning fifteen was stressful in many ways and Wirt felt like he was on the verge of a breakdown from the secrets he was carrying and finally gave in when his friends finally confronted him. Luckily, both of his “coming out” gatherings went well. Sara and the rest of their friends took to him being a weird death tree being rather quickly, asking him questions and sympathizing about his and Greg’s trip to the Unknown. Telling them was also incredibly helpful in keeping his secret while in school since his anxiety tended to make his eyes flicker iridescent. Compared to that particularly nerve wracking reveal, Wirt’s sexuality seemed like nothing. By that, he meant that he still almost passed out from nerves and was only calmed down when his friends and Greg all surrounded him in a group hug. </p>
<p>Both brothers grew closer through all of that, learning Wirt’s new powers together with the younger boy delighting in each ability he showed. Their practice was done at the cemetery with the now dubbed “witch’s circle” among the graves of people they knew in the Unknown, the eyes of the dead watching Wirt’s progress with approval as he changed into something more, better, than the Beast his predecessor was. But that was a story for another time. In his sixteenth year, Wirt would start a new journey and it started with a few casual words spoken by his mother in the early morning over a bowl of cereal.</p>
<p>“Jonathan and I will be going on a honeymoon soon.” His mother announced and Wirt could only stare at her back in a sleepy haze, wondering if he heard right.<br/>
“Ohhh! What’s what? Are you gonna dip the moon in honey? Is that why it goes yellow sometimes?” A now nine-year-old Greg asked excitedly from next to the elder boy, syrup from his pancakes sticking to his cheeks.</p>
<p>“No, Greg. It’s what married people do after they get married to, uh, spend time together.” Wirt answered quickly, refraining from telling most of the truth and hoping his explanation didn’t come out as awkward as he thought it was. Luckily, his brother seemed to gloss over that fact.</p>
<p>“Oh. But haven’t you been married for a while? Why now? And when? Can we go too?” the boy continued with his slew of questions. Their mother chuckled and ruffled his hair.</p>
<p>“Well, he and I have been planning it for a while but haven’t really found a good time to do it since the marriage and Greg’s birth was so close together.” She explained and turned back to the stove. “And no, honey. Like Wirt said, it’s for married people only. And we’ll be doing it over the summer!” She announced cheerfully, though Greg pouted in displeasure at not being able to go anywhere.</p>
<p>“Oh, well, um, good for you guys, I guess? So, does that mean that we’ll be, um, alone for a while in the summer?” Wirt asked and felt nervous when his mother sighed and turned to him, taking on the same nervous look he usually had.<br/>
“Well, see, that’s what I wanted to talk to you both about.” She said hesitantly and that immediately knocked all tiredness from his body and he sat up straighter.</p>
<p>“What do you mean?” he asked.</p>
<p>“Well, at first we were planning on making it a small trip for a week, but then we got so excited at the thought and since you two were getting along so much better recently, we figured that it would be fine to leave you two longer than that.” She rambled, smiling sheepishly as she explained in a rush. “Not without a guardian, of course! Jonathan has an uncle up in Oregon that we are sending you to and it might be an adventure for you boys too! Along with it being a good opportunity to get to know more family!” she finished and now both boys were stunned, though Greg recovered quicker, his trademark enthusiasm taking hold.</p>
<p>“Ohh! Really?! That’s amazing! We get to go up to Oregon for the summer? We get to meet another uncle! Maybe he’ll be an uncle like Uncle Endicott, Wirt! Do you think he has a big mansion too? Can I bring Jason Funberburker with us?” Greg burbled out excitedly.</p>
<p>“Wait, wait, wait. What? An uncle? Are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean, not that it’s a bad thing to meet relatives, or that you aren’t entitled to having some time for yourselves, because that’s good in theory, but we haven’t even <em>met</em> the man. I can take care of Greg here while you’re gone, so you don’t need to send us all the way to Oregon!” Wirt rambled right back to his mother, his anxieties flooding his thoughts. What if the man didn’t like him? What if he didn’t like Greg? Wirt didn’t think that would happen since <em>everyone</em> liked Greg, but it was still a fear. What if he didn’t like them bringing a frog with them? And what about his friends and his lack of summer plans he wanted to make with them? And what about the poetry he would have to hide from him? And his abilities! How would he manage to hide that when they were as blaringly obvious? He hid his face in his hands to cover his eyes as the stress seemed to work through his chest.</p>
<p>“Oh, sweetie! It’ll be alright!” his mother quickly rushed over and hugged him and he sank into her embrace gratefully, feeling the comfort beat back his fear.</p>
<p>“I know you aren’t comfortable with new places, but Oregon is a beautiful place! It has plenty of forests that you boys are fond of and would definitely appeal to your poetic soul, honey! And from what Jonathan has told me, his uncle is a little eccentric, but very nice, so there’s no need to worry!” she said reassuringly and pet his hair. Wirt felt himself relaxing with the attention and huffed a little when Greg joined in on the comfort.</p>
<p>“It’s just…are you sure we can’t just stay here? I’m sixteen. I can take care of Greg by myself. Don’t you trust me?” He said quietly as he looked up at his mother and she sighed and shook her head, dropping a kiss to his forehead.</p>
<p>“It’s not that I don’t trust you, Wirt. I know you’re a responsible young man, but I can’t just leave you alone for the whole summer unsupervised. Neither Jonathan or I have any relatives here and we’d both feel better if there was someone to look after you both.” She said softly, petting his hair. Wirt sighed and felt the trembling from her hand. He inherited his nervous nature from someone and it as only now that he was calming down that he realized his mother was just as freaked out about this as he was. Feeling his panic ebb, his shoulders slumped and he nodded slowly, looking down. He couldn’t deny her this. Not when she was so excited and he knew that if he really pushed this she would stay with them instead of going on her trip with his step-dad so they wouldn’t be left alone.</p>
<p>“…so it’s an uncle of Jonathan’s?” he asked quietly as he looked up again and he could feel her mother relax at his acceptance.</p>
<p>“Yupp! So, he would technically be your and Greg’s great uncle!” she said brightly, giving his shoulder squeeze and sending a grateful smile his way. He smiled back slightly in acknowledgement and returned to his now soggy cereal.<br/>
“Really? So how is he a great uncle? Is that just the next step from a good uncle?” Greg asked curiously and made Wirt roll his eyes before patting his head.</p>
<p>“That’s not what mom means, Greg.” He explained and Greg looked at him skeptically.</p>
<p>“Are you sure? Just normal uncles are pretty good, so I can only expect that the uncles of our parents are great since they’re older.” He explained in the only way that an elementary school child could. With that, breakfast was concluded and more details of the plan were divulged and come the end of August, their bags were packed and it was a plane and a bus to their new destination. It was certainly an adventure to get their all on its own with Wirt keeping track of their traveling schedules, trying his best to keep a hyperactive Greg entertained until he finally crashed from the jetlag, checking a frog through the airport and bus terminals, and subsequently keeping his brother away from said frog while on the plane. On the bus, Wirt held his brother close while he slept, holding his frog like a stuffed animal, and looked at the ever-changing terrain through the window. The trees multiplied as time went on, growing thicker and thicker as they got closer, and he let his mind wander to something more poetic. The trees were different that those of the Unknown, but they seemed to give off a similar feeling of mystery, like they contained secrets that they dare not divulge for fear of retribution. Or perhaps they kept the secrets from those that were unworthy of learning them? Either way, he could feel this soul in the lantern flutter in excitement at the prospect of exploring this new forest and finding new inspiration. His mother was right, it truly was a beautiful place.</p>
<p>“Mmmm….Wirt?” came the sleepy voice beside him and Wirt turned to see his brother eyes flutter open and a yawn escape his lips.</p>
<p>“Right here, Greg.” He assured the younger boy and Greg relaxed from his slight tension.</p>
<p>“Are we there yet?” he asked and Wirt shook his head.</p>
<p>“No. Not yet. But I think we’re almost there. Look at how many trees there are.” He said and Greg brightened immediately, climbing over his brother’s lap to get a better look outside.</p>
<p>“Wow! There’re more trees here than back home! It’s like the Unknown! But the trees are different!” he said excitedly. In the recent years he had become fixated on learning the different types of trees and Wirt didn’t doubt that he could name every single tree in this forest.</p>
<p>“Oh yeah? Well, we’ll go exploring for a bit after we settle in, okay?” he assured Greg and the younger boy smiled brightly, squeezing his frog to him.</p>
<p>“You hear that, Jason Funderburker? We get to go on forest adventures with Wirt again!” he said excitedly and practically vibrated in place from excitement as soon as they saw the big sign passing them by, announcing their destination. Wirt huffed a laugh and gathered their things as the bus slowed, rumbling to a stop at what seemed like just the side of the road where a single car was parked.</p>
<p>“Oh. I guess that must be him. U-unless there’s someone else waiting for someone else here. I mean, that would probably make sense since we’re not the only ones on the bus that are probably headed here but maybe it is and-“</p>
<p>“Wirt, look! It’s our Uncle!” Greg cut his older brother off gleefully and dashed down the aisle to exit the bus.</p>
<p>“Wait, Greg!” Wirt yelled, scooping up their backpacks before dashing after the excitable child. The other riders looked at him in sympathy and let him pass which Wirt felt grateful for and he stumbled out of the bus as Greg waved excitedly with his frog.</p>
<p>“Hi, Uncle! It’s nice to meet you! I’m Greg and this is Wirt and this is Jason Funderburker! We’re here for the summer!” Greg announced happily to the two figures leaving the car.</p>
<p>“Greg! Don’t just go running off!” Wirt scolded before straightening himself out and settling his eyes on the thinner of the two older men. He recognized him vaguely from the picture Jonathan showed them before they left, though he was definitely more aged than the picture and there was something in his eyes that Wirt was a bit wary about.</p>
<p>“Hello, Sir. Thank you for having us here.” Wirt said politely and the other elder man scoffed a little. The boy’s Uncle gave a pleasant chuckle and waved his hand dismissively.</p>
<p>“Aww shucks, there’s no need fer any “sir” nonsense! The name’s McGucket. Fiddleford McGucket or just Uncle Fiddleford to you. Welcome to Gravity Falls, kids!”</p>
<p>*</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And there it is<br/>another chapter<br/>Its a bit longer cuz all the ideas invaded my brain<br/>I may make side stories as to what happened with Wirt, but not now<br/>So yeah.<br/>Too weird?<br/>Too out of character?<br/>If it is, i'm sorry, but its far too late to change it now<br/>Till next time, stay true and stay safe</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Lantern Lights Descending</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>They have arrived. Everyone is anxious, new experiences will be had, and first impressions can be deceiving.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Finals are over<br/>It's been...interesting<br/>But i'm also very tired<br/>I don't care anymore<br/>But I had enough energy to finish a chapter.<br/>I'm enjoying writing this and i hope y'all like it<br/>Anyway, I dont own Over the Garden Wall or Gravity Falls<br/>Off we go</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The drive through the town was filled with questions on Greg’s part, but Wirt kept silent, glancing at the two men in the front seats. Luckily, McGucket seemed to take the questions in stride, amused with the boy’s enthusiasm and keeping the answers coming. Wirt let out an internal sigh of relief at how the two seemed to get along and it alleviated that worry, at least. The man himself was a little odd, but affable. He seemed genuinely excited to have them here and was telling them excitedly about his numerous inventions through the years. The mention of giant robots definitely alarmed Wirt, but delighted Greg, wondering if the man could build him a flying tiger robot.</p>
<p>“Greg, no. No flying tiger robots.” Wirt shook his head, much to McGucket and Greg’s disappointment. The other man chuckled and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.</p>
<p>“It’ll probably be fine if Fiddleford creates a robot for your brother. His inventions have gotten much tamer in recent years and it most likely safe for children now. Most likely.” He said in what was probably supposed to be a reassuring way, but only made Wirt question how much of what McGucket was saying <em>wasn’t</em> exaggerated.</p>
<p>Said man that was driving them all had introduced himself as Stanford Pines. He said he was McGucket's friend/old lab partner and since the man didn't have a vehicle of his own or knew how to drive, had asked Stanford if he would be willing to help pick up Wirt and Greg. Reasonable enough, Wirt supposed, but why didn’t he have a car of his own? Then again, Wirt had no room to judge. No matter how useful the skill was, he absolutely hated driving. His mom and Jonathan were trying to the best of their ability to teach him and he actually wasn't that bad at it, the thought of it simply sent his heart into crazy spasms and he screamed internally the entire time he was behind the wheel.</p>
<p>As his mind continued to wander, Greg oohed and ahhed over the view of the tiny town, smiling gleefully over the amount of woodpeckers in the area and the trees he was spouting the names of to the frog sitting quietly in his lap. Soon enough, they were rolling up to the giant gates of a mansion that brought Wirt back to attention. The two brothers’ jaws dropped in awe as the gates opened to reveal a rather impressive mansion with a sprawling green lawn with what looked like some very angry peacocks.</p>
<p>“Wow! Our uncle really does have a mansion, Wirt!” Greg crowed, sparkles in his eyes as he turned to his brother excitedly. Wirt blinked in surprise as he could only nod in agreement. It had been said as a joke before, but now he was proven wrong and he wasn't sure how to feel about this.</p>
<p>“Aw, shucks. It ain't nothing special, kids. I bought it off the old owners after they went bankrupt and my old home got blown to smithereens!” their uncle said with a sort of nervous pride that was mostly smiles.</p>
<p>“That’s awesome! Is this one connected to another mansion like Uncle Endicott’s? OH! Does this one have a ghost?! We thought the other one did, but it was only a pretty lady that Uncle Endicott ended up marrying!” Greg rambled even as Wirt shot him a look. This man was an actual uncle of theirs, so there was a chance that he would question their knowledge of an “Uncle Endicott” though he may chalk it up to him being from their mother’s side of the family. Still, double mansions and ghosts weren’t quite normal topics of conversation. Luckily for them, McGucket’s mind was still a bit too scrambled for him to recall, so he didn't question the boys and what they were saying.</p>
<p>“Well, I do recall Dipper sayin’ that there was one before, but it's gone now.” McGucket shrugged, a hand stroking his beard and Ford nodded in agreement.</p>
<p>“Indeed. As I recall, he said it was because of a curse that was placed on the precious family, and quite a harsh one, at that.” Ford agreed, almost smiling, but then stopped as McGucket smacked his arm and shot him a look. Ford made a small “oh” sound as if he just realized something and shot them a small smile.</p>
<p>“Not to worry, children. The curse has been lifted and everyone was returned to their non-wooden states.” he said and Fiddleford slapped a hand to his forehead when he caught the siblings’ wide-eyed response. Ford looked confused for a moment before looking down in slight embarrassment. His social graces had gotten better since his return, but they were still pitiful and certainly did not help in instances like this and he searched is immense intellect for something that wasn’t about the weirdness of Gravity Falls or time vortexes or anything else of the sort in order to avoid scaring his friend’s nephews.</p>
<p>“Ahem, so, yes, um, Dipper. He is my, ah, nephew as well. He is similar in age to you and I think would appreciate the company should you and your brother get the chance to visit us. He and his twin sister would get along with you both.” he said stiffly at the change in subject.</p>
<p>“Oh, um, right. A-A visit, you say?” Wirt cleared his throat, moving past the subject, much to the relief of the adults.</p>
<p>“Ah, yes. He and his sister, Mabel visit every summer. There are not every many people their age around Gravity Falls, so if you don't mind, I believe that you will get along greatly.” the man said and Wirt nodded.</p>
<p>“Of course we wanna go! Wirt needs more friends and I wanna meet a guy who got rid of a ghost!” he said excitedly and looked up at his brother.</p>
<p>“Please can we go, oh brother o’ mine?” he pleaded and Wirt sighed before nodding. It would be a good experience for Greg, if nothing more and something told Wirt that it would be a good idea to get on this man’s good side.</p>
<p>“Oh course we can, Greg. With Uncle Fiddleford’s permission, of course.” he said, looking towards the man who looked vaguely surprised at being referred to before breaking out in a large smile.</p>
<p>“Well, o’course ya can, kids! The Pines are a good family and I don't mind y’all goin’ off to see ‘em!” he said cheerfully as the relief and tension swelled in his chest. On one hand, he wanted to keep the boys safe in the mansion and away from the more...weird parts of Gravity Falls, but he also knew he couldn't keep them from them. Not while they were living there for the summer, anyway and maybe the Shack would be an easier transition for them. Finally, they pulled up to the rather impressive front doors of the mansion where Ford parked and they all got out.</p>
<p>“Wow! This is amazing!” Greg crowed as he bounced out and tugged his suitcases out from the trunk, Wirt and McGucket helping him as well. The man chuckled and nodded.</p>
<p>“Yupp! Don't really have much use of all the space ‘cept fer a few fer my inventions, so you boys can pick yer own rooms!” he said excitedly and Greg was now practically vibrating in place from excitement.</p>
<p>“Can we, can we really?! You hear that, Wirt?! We can pick any room!” the boy cheered and Wirt chuckled and rolled, his eyes, nodding and pulling out his own luggage.<br/>“I heard him too, Greg. For now, let’s actually get our stuff inside and then pick out our rooms, alright?” he said calmly and the boy nodded happily, grabbing his things and immediately rushing inside, his frog hopping after him.</p>
<p>“Whoever’s inside last gets to eat peanut butter on a leaf!” Greg called out and Wirt rushed after him.</p>
<p>“Greg, wait! We’re not doing the leaves thing again!” the elder brother ran after him, awkwardly dragging his bags after him. from the side, the two older men watched them, one with a fond look in his eyes before anxiety and terror took over.</p>
<p>“Stanford? Do you really think I can do this?” the smaller man asked quietly, his hands wringing his long white beard nervously. Ford placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, looking at him in the eyes.</p>
<p>“You’ve been doing better, Fiddleford. You may not completely have your memories back, but those years as “Old Man McGucket” aren’t who you are anymore. This is your chance to reconnect with your family that isn't just your son.” The man reassured his old friend and McGucket nodded jerkily, glancing at the house.</p>
<p>“If yer sure, Stanford. I just...I don’t want to mess this up….” he said quietly and the other man nodded, patting his shoulder.</p>
<p>“You’ll be fine, Fiddleford. And like I offered before, if it gets to be too much, send them over to the Mystery Shack. The kids and my brother can definitely entertain them for a while.” he offered and Fiddleford nodded, looking slightly relieved.</p>
<p>“Alright then. Guess I'd better, uh, get on in there, huh?” he asked and Ford nodded.</p>
<p>“Yeah. Now get in there and show those kids that you're a great uncle!” he cheered and with his spirits thoroughly lifted, the man cheered with him.</p>
<p>“Yeah!” he cheered and with that, the man ran inside at top speeds. Ford smiled, internally patting himself on the back at being able to cheer his friend up and got back in, but before he closed the door, there was a sound of a loud crash from inside the mansion.</p>
<p>“This may have been a mistake.” Ford commented to himself before closing his door and driving away.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>From inside, the two brothers gawked at the mount of fancy decor mixed with what looked suspiciously like burmarks and copious amounts of metal cluttered surfaces. Wirt thought he may have also spotted a racoon scampering into the room, but dismissed it as that couldn't possibly be the case.</p>
<p>“It looks really cool in here, don’t you think, Jason Funderburker? It looks ready for adventure!” the boy cheered and Wirt chuckled.</p>
<p>“Well, this place certainly looks...adventurous. But let's get unpacked first then we can scout out the area. Sound good?” Wirt asked and Greg nodded happily.</p>
<p>“Yes sir, captain Wirt!” the boy saluted before proceeding to about face and take off down the hall. Sadly, he didn’t get too far before his stray luggage went careening into a table holding some sort of object Wirt didn't recognize, and as it careened to the floor, it burst into blue light.</p>
<p>“Ah!” The boy shouted as he fell back and Wirt’s eyes flashed iridescent for a moment before he turned into a mass of blurred black branches and shadows that enveloped the small boy and frog. There was a ring of silence and the soft whispers of wind through the trees and then there was only the two siblings and frog again, the object now gone.</p>
<p>“Wirt?” Greg quietly, hugging his brother back from the tight embrace he was currently held in.</p>
<p>“Are you alright?” Wirt asked lowly, hands patting over the younger boy in worry.</p>
<p>“I’m okay, just dizzy!” Greg chirped cheerfully and Jason Funderburker croaked as if in confirmation.</p>
<p>“Oh…. Oh good...I’m glad you’re not hurt....” the elder boy let out a shaky breath, slowly releasing his brother from his grip.</p>
<p>“But I'm okay, see?”  Greg twirled a little in place so he could see him from all angles. Wirt looked him over and when he deemed him thoroughly unharmed, he finally got up from his kneeling position and looked around the area.</p>
<p>“No more touching Uncle McGucket’s stuff so be careful when running.” Wirt warned and Greg nodded.</p>
<p>“Me and Jason Funderburker will be extra super careful of the machine tunnels!” Greg saluted and Wirt raised an eyebrow.</p>
<p>“Is that a rock fact?” he asked skeptically and Greg smiled unabashedly.</p>
<p>“It's one of your rock facts!” he replied happily and Wirt rolled his eyes, but the tension bled from his shoulders. At least until the door slammed open with a bang, startling Wirt into his eyes flickering for a moment, but relaxing again as it was only their uncle coming into the house.</p>
<p>“Heya, kiddos! Lemme show ya where the rooms are all at and then you boys can pick a room!” he said brightly. The boys nodded, feeling the exhaustion from their travels finally pull at their eyelids. McGucket led them through the massive halls, pointing out which ones had his inventions before leading them to an empty hallway that also had its fair share of scorch marks.</p>
<p>“Take yer pick, boys! I don't mess with any of these so feel free to take one!” he said happily and Wirt nodded, opening a random door and peering inside. The room was decorated nicely, if not a bit lavishly, but had a layer of dust belaying how long it had remained abandoned. Other than that, it seemed suitable and he opened the door wider to let Greg see.</p>
<p>“So what do you think, Greg? Suitable for your adventurous tastes?” Wirt asked and Greg beamed, hopping in with his bags before throwing himself on the giant bed, his frog jumping after him.</p>
<p>“Yup! It’s so fancy! Maybe I can make it more fancy! Like a pirate ship!” Greg cheered and raced around the room and disappeared into what looked like a massive closet, frog in tow. Wirt chuckled and nodded while McGucket looked pleased before turning to the older boy.</p>
<p>“And what about you?” he asked.</p>
<p>“Oh, um, I, uh, think I’ll just, uh, be next door. Just in case Greg needs me.” Wirt stammered as suddenly the attention was on him, but McGucket simply nodded and chuckled.</p>
<p>“Good idea. Probably not the best idea to let yer little brother ‘round without supervision. I still got some experiments ‘round the house.” he said sheepishly and Wirt flashed back to only moments ago with the strange device.</p>
<p>“Yeah. I won’t leave him alone.” Wirt said firmly. The silence stretched between them for a moment before it finally got too uncomfortable and Wirt felt like he just had to say something.</p>
<p>“Th-thank you for letting us stay here!” he stammered and McGucket blinked in surprise, blinking.</p>
<p>“Why wouldn't I? We’re family!” he said cheerfully and Wirt looked at him nervously, tugging at the ends of his sweater.</p>
<p>“E-Even me? I mean, Greg is actually related to you and i'm...just..y’know...his half brother. On my mom’s side. I’m not related to you….” he said softly, looking down. McGucket looked at the teen sympathetically before placing a gentle hand on his shoulder so as not to spook him.</p>
<p>“You and that little boy are brothers. That means yer both family to me.” the man said softly, looking down. “I spent a good portion of my life not bein’ the best husband or father and I know about feelin’ like yer not a part of yer own, so know that no matter what, you and Greg are family to me. No amount of blood will change that. Alright?” he asked softly and Wirt looked up, eyes wide.</p>
<p>“Oh...” was all the teen could respond, his shoulders sagging in relief. A titanic weight he didn’t know he had burdening his shoulders was now gone and the sensation was practically dizzying.</p>
<p>“Thank you.” he continued, voice stronger now and the older man chuckled, patting his shoulder before stepping back.</p>
<p>“No problem! Now ye best get unpacked and I’ll get ready fer supper. I’d say to take a load off and nap, but something tells me that brother o’ yers won't exactly let ya sleep.” he commented and Wirt chuckled, head turning back to the room where Greg was now wearing some sort of frilly looking suit that looked far to expensive to be in the hands of a nine year old. Jason Funderburker was, likewise, dressed in a far too large blazer and hat, looking strangely pleased with his look.</p>
<p>“Yeah. Probably not. I’ll keep him from breaking or tearing any of the clothes.” Wirt chickled and promised the man, but Mcgucket simply laughed heartily.</p>
<p>“Naw. Let him play. The clothes ain’t mine anyway. Came with the house when I got it, so have at it!” the man reassured and Wirt nodded in understanding, though he’d still try to get Greg to be a bit more gentle with what he was handling.</p>
<p>“Anyway, I’ll holler fer ya when supper’s ready so get comfy. And if ya hear any sort of unseemly explosions, no worries cuz that’s normal!” he said cheerily before going off back down the hall and out of sight, leaving Wirt spluttering in disbelief.</p>
<p>“W-w-wait, what?!” he shrieked, gaining the attention of the two still in the room.</p>
<p>“Wirt?” Greg called out, head now poking out from a pool of what Wirt could only guess was a large fur coat.</p>
<p>“I’m fine, Greg. Just, um, having a talk with our Uncle!” he said nervously and Greg nodded, knowing that his older brother always got nervous speaking with new people.</p>
<p>“I think this place is neat! We’re gonna have a lot of fun this summer!” Greg cheered and Wirt chuckled before nodding in agreement. It would suck to be away from his friends and his hometown, but he was resigned to the fact that he was here now and he refused to bring down Greg’s good time with his moodiness.</p>
<p>“Yeah. I think we will. We’ll have all summer to explore this place. I might even get to write some poetry in the woods without you snooping for once!” Wirt teased, snatching up the boy from his pile and tickling him. The child burst out into squealing laughter, trying his best to wiggle free.</p>
<p>“W-Wirt! No! T-Tickling is unfair!” he shrieked with laughter.</p>
<p>“Promise not to snoop?” Wirt asked with an eyebrow raised, fingers stilling for a moment.</p>
<p>“Never! It’s my sacred duty as the little brother!” Greg yelled, his fist in the air as if in triumph. Wirt simply rolled his eyes and shrugged.</p>
<p>“Then tickles it’ll be as preemptive retaliation.” he said and continued tickling the younger boy, to which said boy then burst into laughter again.</p>
<p>“Jason Funderburker! Help me!” the boy called out, looking to the side for his frog, but said reptile simply hopped once towards him before croaking in sympathy at his downed human.</p>
<p>“See? Even Jason Funderburker agrees with me!” Wirt laughed.</p>
<p>“Traitor! You’ll walk the plank for mutinying against me!” Greg called out mid laughter. What finally ended up saving the younger brother from a giggly, bubbly torture was a beeping coming from Writ himself. Pulling away, the teen quickly patted his pockets before bringing out a phone. Handling it carefully, he unlocked the phone before answering. Wirt had never been technologically inclined, which was why he stuck to books and poetry and music rather than being sucked into video games or social media. Whatever technology he had was most from the 80s since they were the only things that didn't seem to break as soon as Wirt touched them.</p>
<p>“Hey mom.” he greeted softly and was immediately met by the fretting from their mother on the other end of the line.</p>
<p>“Wirt! Sweetie! Are you alright?! How was the trip? Did you make it alright? Are you still on the road?” questions spewed from the woman’s mouth.</p>
<p>“We’re fine, mom. We made it fine and are currently inside the house, safe and sound.” he reassured her and chuckled a little bit as she continued to fret a little. From the side, Greg seemed to have finally gotten his breath back and soon was crowding next to Wirt and talking loudly to be heard.</p>
<p>“Mom! Wirt was tickling me again! I just wanna read his poetry cuz it's good even if I don’t get it all!” he called out and Wirt stuck his tongue out at the younger boy while Greg did the same.</p>
<p>“Shush!”</p>
<p>“You shush!”</p>
<p>“Boys, boys! Calm down!” she called out on the phone, both brothers falling silent. “Wirt, no tickle torturing your brother. Greg, no looking into Wirt’s private things.” she said firmly and the brothers sighed.</p>
<p>“Yes, mom.” they said in resignation. With that, Wirt handed the phone over to his brother and got up.</p>
<p>“Here. Talk to mom about the trip while I go unpack. You tell the stories better than I do, anyway.” he said and Greg nodded in excitement, grabbing the phone and proceeding to chatter on about the things they had seen on the bus and what it was like on a plane and a bus. Sighing in relief, Wirt walked out the door, dragging his bags to the next room over and opening the door. The room was practically identical to Greg’s room, but had different décor. It was tasteful, but still a bit too much for him. Still, he was too tired to worry about that now and sank into the far too comfortable bed, staring up into the ceiling. This was the ceiling he would wake up to for the rest of the summer, so he guessed he’d better get used to it. Letting out another sigh, he looked out the window to see the trees peeking over the walls around the mansion. His eyes flashed iridescent and his body relaxed before his eyes fluttered close. He really hoped this summer would go well.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>Ford was immediately flooded with the sights and sounds of loud voices as soon as he entered the place he called home. It was certainly an adjustment to have so much sound around him, but now he had gotten used to it.</p>
<p>“Look, I’m not saying that glitter solves every problem, but I’m also not saying that glitter <em>doesn’t</em> solve every problem.” an excited female voice called out.</p>
<p>“Mabel, no. We’re not using glitter to battle a wendigo.” came another voice, male this time and sounding very annoyed.</p>
<p>“But Dipper! They need to have some sort of style other than fur and bone and if we dumped a whole bunch of glitter on them, we’d never have to worry about not finding them again!” she protested, and Ford rounded the corner to enter the living room to see his great niece and nephew arguing in the living room. Both were brown-eyed and had the same shade of chestnut hair. The girl dressed in the brightly colored sweaters she had loved since early childhood though of a more mature style, her braces now gone, and her face belaying a childish glee. Her brother had finally, after several years, grown taller than her and was currently glaring at his twin. Instead of the blue vest and shorts he had sported on his first visit to Gravity Falls, he had switched to jeans and a dark blue hoodie to hold the multiple things in his pockets. The blue trucker hat he had had since he was twelve, however, was perched on his head looking a little battered, but intact. Both had matured and it made Ford proud to see those two grow into the young adults they looked like. Still, that didn't stop the elder Pines from getting annoyed sometimes at their sibling bickering.</p>
<p>“Kids, no arguing in the living room! The glitter is a rather good idea, but since they spent most of their time in the mountains, it may not last long.” Ford reasoned as he walked into the living room, breaking up the argument.</p>
<p>“Great Uncle Ford!” Dipper smiled at the man’s arrival, leaving a pouting Mabel on the couch to walk up to the man.</p>
<p>“It would be a great idea if you’d let me invent permanent glitter.” she huffed before turning to a pink pig lying on the floor and starting to cuddle it.</p>
<p>“No. Glitter is already the bane to my existence. You’re not making it even worse.” Dipper argued before turning back to their great uncle.</p>
<p>“So where did you go? I know you said it was some kind of errand. Was there something new in the woods?” the teen asked and Ford shook his head.</p>
<p>“No. Just a small favor to Fiddleford. His great nephews are staying with him for the summer and he asked me to help pick them up.” he explained and was met with a cacophony of questions.</p>
<p>“Ohh! New people! Both boys?”</p>
<p>“McGucket is a grunkle too?”</p>
<p>“How old are they?”</p>
<p>“Do they know about Gravity Falls?”</p>
<p>“Can we meet them?!”</p>
<p>“Do they like the supernatural?”</p>
<p>Ford looked overwhelmed and it was quickly grating on his nerves. Luckily, it was at this point that someone else entered the living room to stop the flood.</p>
<p>“Kids! What did I say about raising the volume level above annoying?” came a gruff voice from the stairs before another older man descended the stairs, scratching at his stomach and glaring at them.</p>
<p>“Sorry, Grunkle Stan!” the twin apologized in union, but still looked expectantly at Ford. In the meantime, Ford waved slightly at his twin, relieved that he wasn’t the only one dealing with the teens now. Stan raised an eyebrow and decided to help his brother out of whatever social situation he seemed to have found himself in.</p>
<p>“Alright, now what's going on that you couldn’t leave the nerd alone?” he asked and the teens burst out with their newfound information.</p>
<p>“Grunkle Ford said that McGucket is a grunkle too!” Mabel squealed.</p>
<p>“That’s where he went today! He helped pick them up and I was asking about whether or not they already knew about Gravity Falls.” Dipper replied just as enthusiastically as his sister. Stan raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest.</p>
<p>“Huh. That old kook has grandniblets too? Who woulda thought?” Stan blinked in surprise before shrugging. “Well, they’ll be someone else you can bug other than me if they come over. But don’t think that just cuz they’re McGucket’s that they're getting any discounts! Wait, they <em>do</em> have money, right?” he asked Ford and the man shrugged.</p>
<p>“I’m not sure. To answer some of your questions, they're both boys. Wirt looked to be about you two’s age while Greg seemed to be still in elementary school. Whether their parents gave them any money before sending them here, I don’t know, but Wirt seemed like a sensible boy if a little nervous. I may have also extended an invitation for them to visit the Shack, so you both may see them soon.” Ford answered and with his question at least partially answered, Stan continued on to the kitchen.</p>
<p>“Wait, but Grunkle Ford, you didn't say if they knew anything about the supernatural or Gravity Falls.” Dipper interjected and Ford looked a little uneasy.</p>
<p>“Well, Dipper. I don’t think they do. From what I heard from Fiddleford, they live in Massachusetts and didn't know about him until recently. They’ll have to learn about Gravity Falls while they’re here, but Fiddleford didn’t want to scare them too much by saying anything yet. If you do tell them, I’d suggest you take it slowly.” Ford advised and Dipper nodded nervously. This was his chance to make his own friends while he was here in Gravity Falls and teach them about everything to do with the town! It wasn’t often that Dipper got to show off for anyone since everyone in California either didn’t believe him or he couldn't prove it since none of it was there. Not to mention there was no one else his age other than Mabel, Candy and Grenda that was their age in town and they were more his sister’s friends than his. This time, since they were in Gravity Falls and their Grunkles were close, there was a chance for him to get along with someone his age.</p>
<p>“Well, we can definitely teach them a thing or two!” Mabel said cheerfully and giggling at the thought of what they would be like. “Oh, Grunkle Ford! Is the older brother cute? Please tell me he is! I need to try for a new summer romance this year!” she asked and Ford thought back to the teen in the car, trying to give an honest answer.</p>
<p>“I’m not quite sure what qualifications you’re looking for in a partner, but he seems to be a well adjusted boy.” he said hesitantly before shrugging and the girl squealed again. Dipper rolled his eyes and gave his sister a shove, providing enough of a distraction for Ford to make his escape from the uncomfortable situation down to his lab.</p>
<p>“Mabel! Could you <em>not</em> do summer romances for one year? Especially not now with McGucket’s nephews!” the male teen complained while his sister merely laughed.</p>
<p>“Oh, come on, Dipper! Let me live my summer dreams! Besides, wouldn’t it be cool if he became my boyfriend? Or your boyfriend! Or he could find you a girlfriend! We need to get you a summer romance this year, bro-bro! I can’t be the only one having fun!” she laughed, clinging to her brother’s arm and Dipper flushed in embarrassment.</p>
<p>“Summer romances aren’t my idea of fun, Mabel.” he dismissed, shaking her loose before stomping up to his attic bedroom. Both twins eventually decided that they needed their space and moved into separate rooms, Ford feeling most comfortable in the basement and happily gave up his old room to the girl. Dipper huffed and closed the door to his room before collapsing onto his bed, crumpling up sheets of paper in the process. It wasn’t that he didn’t want a relationship eventually, but Dipper wanted to  completely trust the one he was with and have someone that would accept him. He knew that if he wanted to like someone, they would have to be alright with the weirdness that was Gravity Falls and his active involvement in investigating and trying to solve the mysteries of the town and the supernatural. But as he he saw it, it wasn’t going to happen soon, so relationships weren’t at the top of his list, no matter what Mabel said.</p>
<p>From her own room, Mabel was already plotting about how her summer would go. She brought out the model she had made to represent McGucket and looked at it skeptically. She would have to see what this Wirt guy was like before she was sure about starting anything with him but she was already reconsidering while remembering what McGucket was like. There was, of course, no guarantee that he would resemble the old man, but at the risk of sounding shallow, she strongly hoped against it. Though if he was as smart as the man was, he would definitely get along with her brother. As for Greg, Mable was sure she would get along with him. She loved children and got along with them rather well. She wiggled in excitement as she brought out yarn and her knitting needles, the familiar clicking and movements of her fingers making her smile. She had a great feeling about this summer and she knew that these two newcomers would make it even more exciting.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>From further below and beneath the floorboards, Ford glared angrily at the symbol of the lantern on his corkboard. Since it had changed all that time ago, it hadn't done anything else. No matter what tests or experiments he performed on the symbol to try and decipher its origins, nothing came up. Any attempt to try and trace the course of the change of it or search for who the symbol may be connected to was met with a dead end. It was driving Ford up the wall with irritation because he knew that it meant something. Nothing had happened, but there had to be a reason it changed! It wouldn't have been close to the Cipher wheel if it hadn’t! Not to mention the practically supernatural cause to the change in the first place. Something had to have happened in the world that made the fabric of reality change the symbol from what it used to be. He glared at the corkboard one more time before forcing himself to look away and took out another book from his giant stack in an attempt at research. He would find the answer and he got the feeling that he was getting close.</p>
<p>*</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>There it is<br/>Suspicion is in the air<br/>Gravity Falls characters have been introduced and teenage angst has been put into play<br/>Cuz isnt that just being a teenager?<br/>Will there be love?<br/>Will there be ships?<br/>No clue cuz i dont plan any of this<br/>Suggestions?<br/>Till next time, stay true and stay safe</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Directing Fate</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Just casual walks through the woods and making friends. Nothing wrong there. Nto at all. Nothing weird in the forest. Just kidding. There totally is.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter got away from me<br/>This is a long friggin chapter<br/>I dont even know how this sounds<br/>I've been assured it sounds ok<br/>But it sounds incredibly awkward to me<br/>O well.<br/>Let it begin<br/>I dont own Over the Garden Wall or Gravity Falls</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next few days were devoted to settling into the town and getting used to their uncle. McGucket, as Wirt and Greg learned, was usually up at all hours making his inventions with various degrees of explosions and should absolutely <em>not</em> be trusted in the kitchen. The man was a threat anywhere near his “modified” stove and it only took that first day for Wirt to take over the cooking. Now, the teen didn't think he was all that great at cooking, but he was considerably better than the old man who had served what he affectionately called “green pasta” to them their first night there. The elder man had eaten the food with his own sort of unease, but the boys were a different matter. Since then, Wirt had taken over the kitchen and both McGucket and Greg were eternally grateful. Right now, McGucket had managed to drag himself away from his lab and was sitting at the table with Greg while Wirt stood at the stove, tending to the oatmeal in the pot.</p><p>“What other robots can you make, Uncle McGucket?” Greg asked excitedly and McGucket’s eyes lit up with joy at the mention of his creations.</p><p>“Well all kinds! I don’t make ‘em as much now since the town prohibited the real big ones, but I still make a few smaller ones. They usually end up broken in the forest, though.” the man said, pouting slightly at the thought of his creations rotting away in the woods. He’d asked Dipper to bring back the pieces on more than one occasion so he could remake them, but the denizens of Gravity Falls’ forest really didn’t like it when he built death machines for some reason.</p><p>“Really? Can we go look for them?!” Greg asked excitedly, a gleam in his eye. He had asked Wirt about exploring the forest the morning after their arrival, but Wirt told him they would have to wait until they were more settled in. Greg pouted, but reluctantly agreed with the promise that they would explore at a later date.</p><p>“O-Oh! Um, you boys would really do that?” McGucket suddenly stammered, both in nervousness and surprise.</p><p>“Of course. We can tell you value your inventions. We’d be happy to get them back for you. As long as you’re okay with it and they aren't dangerous, I mean.” Wirt piped up, ladling out the oatmeal into three bowls and setting them on the table in front of the other two males. Greg tucked into his immediately, but McGucket continued to look at him in slight concern.</p><p>“Uh, well, as nice an offer as that is, I’d really feel better if you kids didn't. Or at least bring a local with you first.” McGucket said nervously, fiddling with the spoon of his oatmeal. Wirt raised an eyebrow, but chose not to question it. After all, McGucket had lived here for a long time, so he knew the area better than they did, even <em>with</em> Wirt’s new abilities. He’s rather they not run into something surprising while walking around.</p><p>“That’s fine, Uncle McGucket. Would you recommend anyone in particular? It would, um, probably be nice to have a tour or the woods or something?” Wirt stammered out and noted the relief making the man’s shoulders sag. Greg scooped up his oatmeal, already babbling about the possibility of finding a magical tiger in the woods. Or a magical duck since those were equally exciting. The elder man chuckled and nodded.</p><p>“Sure! Remember Ford? Well, his great nephew and niece know these woods better’n anyone in town! I'd suggest goin; over to the Shack and askin’ ‘em! And if Pines gives any protests, just tell ‘em yer from me!” the elder man said cheerfully, giving a rather awkward wink. Greg cheered and waved his spoon in the air.</p><p>“Yay! We’re going on a friend making adventure!” he cheered and it was only through his newly learned self-control and Wirt’s glare that kept him from climbing onto the table and bursting into song. The rule was no bursting into song until the dishes were cleared from the table within the household and it carried on into their uncle’s house.</p><p>“That, um, sounds good. Should we, like, call before we go or something? I wouldn’t want to intrude…” Wirt asked nervously. the man simply laughed and shook his head.</p><p>“Naw. The Pines place is a tourist spot. They make a living off of people bothering them, so don’t worry! I’d take ya there myself, but I got something running up in the lab that I can’t step away from. Don’t worry about getting lost, though, There’s signs everywhere leading to the Shack.” he assured them and Wirt wilted a little. They were on their own, then.</p><p>“Yay! When can we go, Wirt?!” Greg cheered, finishing up his oatmeal and the elder brother shrugged.</p><p>“After we get ready, I guess.” he relented and Greg cheered again. Wirt turned to the older man who was now eating his food rapidly.</p><p>“When do we have to be back? Are you gonna need us here for lunch or anything?” Wirt asked and McGucket smiled. Bless him. Since the man could hardly trust his own cooking, he was entirely grateful to the elder teen for coming along and taking it upon himself to feed them all.</p><p>“Naw. I’ll grab something from Greasy’s later if I get hungry! Just be back before sunset. Ya can git lost there in the dark.” he warned and Wirt nodded.</p><p>“Sure! Hear that, Greg? No midnight forest trips.” Wirt said to his brother and the boy pouted, but nodded. Personally, he thought his brother would be able to protect them no matter what, but he didn’t want to make his uncle mad either, so he agreed reluctantly.</p><p>“Aww, beans. Okay. But can we still go on a forest adventure later?” he asked and Wirt sighed and chuckled, nodding.</p><p>“Yeah. If they aren’t busy, then we can ask them to show us around.” Wirt assured. Satisfied with that answer, Greg finished his food and stacked the plates in the sink.</p><p>“I’m gonna get ready, brother-o-mine! I also have to instruct Jason Funderburker to hold down the fort!” He said seriously before running off. Wirt let out a long breath and yawned. That kid was far too excited in the morning for his tastes. If it were up to Wirt, he’d still be asleep. Not that he could dream anyway, since he was simply sent to the Unknown and in the Unknown, he didn’t dream either. Still, he enjoyed being asleep.</p><p>“Thank you for letting us go, Uncle McGucket.” Wirt thanked the older man and the man shook his head.</p><p>“No need fer thanks! It’s not like I’m gonna keep you two boys locked away here. I’ve been told kids need their freedom during summer and as long as yer not in the woods, you’ll be fine. You’ve got a good head on yer shoulders and look after yer little brother like a hawk. I trust you boys to be fine on yer own.” McGucket explained and Wirt smiled gratefully, the bit of stress on his shoulders releasing.</p><p>“Thank you.” he said softly and the man grinned happily, turning back to his breakfast.</p><p>*</p><p>The town was small, even by their small town standards, but everyone seemed relatively polite. Wirt and Greg had been given the opportunity to look around before when going grocery shopping and had been stopped quite a bit by the locals. Apparently, no one was aware that their uncle had more family that they hadn’t met yet. There were a few questions and awed exclamations directed towards them, making Wirt uncomfortable and shrinking away from the attention, but it soon died away and were welcomed into the town. It was a relief to both boys that the town liked them since they were going to be staying there for a while, but there was something about the looks in their eyes that bothered the older boy. It was the look that said that they knew something that <em>they</em> didn’t and Wirt didn't know how to feel about it. Every small town had their own things going on and secrets, so Wirt supposed that Gravity Falls was no different, but it was still a bit unsettling even now as they walked through town and felt their knowing eyes on him. Leaving the mansion and walking into the town, Greg sang to himself and swung Jason Funderburker in his arms as they marched onward.</p><p>“You think we should ask for directions to the Shack?” Wirt asked as they walked through town. Greg chuckled and shrugged, placing his frog on his head as his song finished.</p><p>“But Uncle told us that there were signs everywhere leading to the Shack! Maybe we have to hunt for the signs! Like clues to a mystery!” the boy cheered. Wirt sighed, wanting very much to just ask someone for directions, but didn’t argue the point. In a small town like this, how hard would it be? Not to mention the townspeople’s looks were getting to him.</p><p>“Alright then. Greg. We’re going on a mighty quest to find the clues to find the Mr. Pines house!” he said dramatically to the younger boy, who cheered and pumped his fist in the air.</p><p>“Yes! Lead the way, Captain Wirt! Lead us to victory!” Greg cheered and Wirt held back a snort of laughter before taking his brother’s hand in his and walking down the street. After looking both ways, of course. As it turned out, McGucket was correct in saying that there were signs everywhere for the “Mystery Shack”, so it wasn’t hard to simply follow the signs onto a dirt road leading into the forest. It was well traveled, so they weren't worried and continued walking while Greg named off the different trees around him. Wirt was taking in the scenery and smiling a little. The light of the sun was filtering in through the trees and falling onto the lush greenery of the forest floor. Beautiful and serene, the world seemed to still, focusing only on their moment of walking. It was a brief inhale of breath that held and waited until the sudden exhale of breath to break the moment.</p><p>“Do you think Mr. Pines’ name is Mr. Pines because of all the pine trees?” Greg asked, proving himself to be that sudden exhale and breaking Wirt out of his moment of poetry.</p><p>“What? Oh, uh, no. I don’t know.” Wirt answered, shrugging.</p><p>“Oh. Then why is his last name Pines?” The boy asked.</p><p>“Why is your last name Cowan?” Wirt asked in return, which seemed to stump the child momentarily. In the moment of confusion, they finally spotted a building nestled in amongst the trees and caught Greg’s attention.</p><p>“We found it!” he cheered, picking up the pace with his frog tucked safely under his arm.</p><p>“Greg! Wait!” Wirt called after him as he noticed that there was a large bus that had stopped in front of the building and the crowd of people that were disembarking from the vehicle. Tourists, by the looks of it. Wirt sighed in annoyance and lengthened his stride to catch up with his younger brother, thanking his longer legs for once in his life. Without hesitation, the younger boy pushed past the crowd of people that were entering the building, smiling in excitement and Wirt felt panic leap into his heart as he lost sight of him. Speeding up, Wirt pushed through the crowd as well and entered the building, almost stopping at the sudden, almost oppressive, chill that went up his spine as soon as he crossed the threshold, but dismissed it as just the difference between the heat outside and the air conditioning in the building. Quickly catching sight and catching up to the younger boy among the milling people looking at souvenirs, he took him again by the hand.</p><p>“Greg! Don’t just run off like that!” he scolded the child, and the boy had the decency to look ashamed before hugging his brother.</p><p>“Sorry. I just got really excited.” he whispered softly and Wirt nodded, hugging back. Greg had learned over time that Wirt was a worrier by nature and the things that Greg did sometimes didn’t help with that, so he had vowed to help his brother’s anxieties as best as he could. Still, he was only nine and his emotions got away from him from time to time.</p><p>“It’s fine. Just not when there’s so many people, alright?” he asked and Greg nodded in understanding. Wirt let out a sigh or relief and looked around now that his crisis had been averted.</p><p>“Alright, uh, how about we, uh, look around for Mr. Pines? Or maybe his niece and nephew? Oh, wait, we don’t even know what they look like! Nevermind. Bad plan. Ignore that plan.”Wirt muttered to himself as he looked around, his hand still holding his brother’s. His normal social anxiety now returning after realizing he had displayed his little freak out in a public space. No one seemed to be paying the boys any attention, but that didn't stop his mind from thinking all eyes were on him.</p><p>“Hey, Wirt! How ‘bout be ask the friendly neighborhood cashier? If they work in the Mystery Shack, surely they know how to solve this mystery!” the boy chirped happily and Wirt nodded. That was definitely a better plan and he made his way through the gift shop looking area to the cash register where a rather bored looking brunette teenager that reminded him of a lightning storm was sitting.</p><p>*</p><p>Summer always brought in flocks of tourists with it, and this summer proved to be no different. Their Grunkle Stan had rushed into the building with a look of excited glee on his face and his cane in hand.</p><p>“Incoming tour bus, kids! Look alive and like you wanna take their money!” he called out as he ducked into the tour/museum part of the Mystery Shack to make some last minute adjustments or changes to his “exhibits”. Rolling his eyes, Dipper moved into his position behind the register and watched Mabel flit between the rows of the gift shop to perfectly arrange and display all that they had to offer. Dipper preferred the register over doing that, sharing the position with fellow employee Wendy when she was here while Mabel took over the more showy part of the job, her flair for the dramatic on full display. </p><p>“Ohh! The tourists! I wonder what we’ll get this time? Probably a few more nature hikers and paranormal investigators.” the girl chatted as she straightened out the items on the shelves. He grunted in agreement and looked out the window, tipping back in his stool as he did so in a relaxed manner. Paranormal hunters were always a handful to deal with and there was always a watch out for nature hikers. Both usually ended up in dire straits while in the woods though both were always warned beforehand not to go in. That video leakage of the gnomes was annoying to try to disprove though. Gravity Falls <em>really</em> didn’t need curious people trying to exploit or publicize its weirdness. Especially not if it had to deal with a certain statue in the forest...</p><p>“I hope there’s some cute boys this time! There weren’t any last year and that was pretty disappointing. Though those old ladies were fun to hang out with.” Mabel chirped dreamily and Dipper rolled his eyes.</p><p>“What did I say about being boy crazy this summer?” he asked her in annoyance and she shot him a sugar sweet smile as she bounced over to the register.</p><p>“That I should always go for it just in case I finally meet my soulmate and your future in-law?” she replied innocently and draped herself over him as dramatically as possible. Her twin simply rolled his eyes and reached around to flip her hair in her face as he often did when he was annoyed with her.</p><p>“Hey! Eww! Pleh, pleh!” She sputtered as she hurriedly flipped her hair back into place and spat out a few strands caught in her mouth.</p><p>“Rude.” she pouted and Dipper chuckled.</p><p>“You had it coming. Anyway, I can see the tour bus now. You’d better get into position.” he told her and she grinned excitedly before dashing off.</p><p>“Awesome! I hope I get to dress up as something shiny this time!” she called out and disappeared down the hallway. They had come to an agreement when they were thirteen that they would have to switch being a “creature” in the tour. Dipper shivered at just remembering having to play the wolf boy all those years ago with no reprieve or sympathy from his relatives. As the regular visitors from town and repeat tourists drifted into the gift shop, Dipper found himself drifting off into his own mind. He hadn’t gotten to wander off into the forest as of yet since Stan had kept he and Mabel around to prepare for tourist season, but Dipper could already feel the wanderlust taking hold of him. It also didn’t help that he had been barred from Ford’s lab due to some project he was working on. The lack of excitement was making him antsy. Not to mention the idea of showing McGucket’s nephews around the town excited him. Now it was only a matter of when they would show up!</p><p>“Um, excuse me?” a soft voice called out, rousing Dipper from his thoughts and bringing his attention to the two people in front of him. The one who had spoken was a teenager about his age if not a year or two older with wild dark hair, grey eyes, and a sweater of all things. He probably should have been less surprised about the sweater thing, but he honestly had no idea that anyone besides his sister wore sweaters during the summer. With the teen was a smaller boy with a wide grin, lighter brown hair, matching grey eyes, and a large frog in his arms. Looking at them both, Dipper wasn't sure why, but he was vividly reminded of the golden tones of autumn and a chill went up his spine from a phantom breeze.</p><p>“Oh, uh, yeah? Need any help finding something? If it's about the “crystals”, then yes, they are glass shards and thank you for noticing so I can throw them out now.” he answered immediately, relieved that he could now throw the dangerous things away.</p><p>“What? No, it's not about the-wait what? Those are glass shards?! Isn't that really unsafe?” the teen flinched, eyes wide as he eyed the basket of glass beside him and pulled the younger boy closer to himself. Dipper pulled the basket away from the edge of the counter and nodded.</p><p>“Yeah. Sorry about that. Uh, so if it wasn’t about the glass, what can I help you with?” he asked sheepishly, embarrassment coloring his cheeks as he saw the other teen raise an eyebrow at him in uncertainty.</p><p>“We, um, came at Mr. Pines’ invitation? Oh! Uh, I should probably start with introductions! Right! My name is Wirt and this is my brother Greg! Our Uncle McGucket sent us here.” The taller teen said in a rush, hands fidgeting in front of him.</p><p>“And this is Jason Funderberker!” the boy, Greg, chimed in and held his frog above his head, smiling happily and said frog let out a croak, blinking at Dipper slowly. Dipper blinked back in surprise before the words and their meaning came back to him and slapped him in the face.</p><p>“Oh! You’re McGucket’s grandnephews! Grunkle Ford told us about you!” he said excitedly, now fully alert and filled with energy. They were here now! All the plans he had in his head shoved themselves to the forefront of his brain and it was only his self control and the confusion and surprise on the other teen’s face that reigned in his excitement.</p><p>“Uh, yes. We are. You’ve heard of us?” Wirt asked in confusion and Greg laughed happily.</p><p>“Yeah, Wirt! We’re famous!” Greg said happily and Wirt rolled his eyes before turning back to him.</p><p>“Yeah, uh, he told us you might stop by for a visit. And since you asked, it just kinda clicked with me that he was talking about you guys.” Dipper explained and Wirt’s eyes lit up in recognition.</p><p>“Oh! You must be Dipper! Right!” he said happily, now understanding who the teen was before him.</p><p>“Did they talk about me too?” Dipper asked in surprise and Wirt nodded.</p><p>“Yes. Mr. Pines mentioned you, saying that you were around my age and that you had a twin sister.” he explained and Greg nodded.</p><p>“Yeah! And Uncle told us you find his robot parts in the woods! He told us you could take us to the woods to show us around! Can we go on forest adventures with you?” Greg asked him happily, bouncing around in excitement. Dipper’s eyes widened in surprise and excitement at the notion, but Wirt saw none of it as he glared down at the boy.</p><p>“Greg! Don’t be rude!” Wirt scolded and the child looked momentarily chastised before grinning up at Dipper again.</p><p>“Please take us on forest adventures?” he asked this time in a more polite tone and Wirt sighed in a way that only annoyed siblings could. Dipper simply laughed and nodded at the small, bright-eyed child.</p><p>“Sure, Greg! I’ll take you and your brother out on a forest adventure! I’ve been exploring Gravity Falls since I was twelve, so I’m pretty sure I can show you guys something cool.” he reassured the both of them and felt a small thrill when both smiled at him with trust. He could do this! He could show them the wonders of Gravity Falls and impress them! He may even be thought of as cool for once in his life! Sadly, his moment of happiness was interrupted by a sudden flying ball of glitter crashing into his side, sending him tumbling to the floor.</p><p>“Dipper! Look at how much glitter I was able to stick on!” came a terribly familiar voice above him and he groaned, looking up at the smiling form of his sister. He groaned again. So much for looking cool. No one could look cool with multicolored glitter covering them. At least Dipper couldn't.</p><p>“Ohh! A shiny girl!”  a small voice called out and the twins looked up in unison to see the nine year old smiling with joy at the amount of shine on the girl while his brother looked at her in mild alarm. Mabel shot up and cooed at him, also subtly trying to make herself more attractive to the taller teen.</p><p>“Aww! And who’re these cuties? Thank you for appreciating all my glitter! Unlike some people here!” she shot a look at her brother and stuck her tongue out at him as he picked himself up from the floor before turning back to smile as flirtatiously as she could at Wirt. Said boy looked confused and vaguely uncomfortable.</p><p>“Knock it off, Mabel!” Dipper huffed and dusted himself off. “Anyway, these are Greg and Wirt. They’re McGucket’s grandnephews.” the male twin introduced and Mabel looked at them with stars in her eyes.</p><p>“Ohmygosh, really?! So glad to meet you! Is that a frog?!” she gushed and with every movement, a new wave of glitter fell to the floor. Internally, Dipper groaned. That was going to be a pain to clean up.</p><p>“Yeah! His name is Jason Funderberker! Wirt helped me name him!” the smaller boy said proudly and held his frog out to her.</p><p>“Oh, um, it was nothing. It was a kind of spur of the moment thing and I probably should have named him something better, but it just kinda ended up sticking because Greg liked it so much.” Wirt rambled and the tips of his ears turning a bit red.</p><p>“Hey, it’s a better name than mine. It’s...creative.” Dipper assured, smiling a little at the teen and Wirt snorted, his embarrassment fading a bit.</p><p>“My name is <em>Wirt</em>. Dipper sounds like Shakespear in comparison.” he said and chuckled a little, making Dipper smile wider.</p><p>“It’s not that bad!” he laughed.</p><p>“Yeah! It’s actually just a nickname. You should hear-!” Mabel giggled and it was at this point that Dipper intervened.</p><p>“Alright, that’s enough. Go get cleaned up before your glitter pile gets worse and you get it on them!” the boy grumbled and Mabel huffed before relenting.</p><p>“Alright, alright. Be back in a sec!” she called out before disappearing behind the door and down the hall.</p><p>“Ah, sorry about that. That was my twin sister, Mabel. She can be a bit...eccentric.” Dipper apologized and the boys shook their heads.</p><p>“She’s so cool! And shiny! Can she go on forest adventures with us?” Greg asked excitedly and Wirt patted his head.</p><p>“Only if she wants to, though.” he said, looking apologetically up at Dipper as if he had offended him with that offer, but the other teen simply smiled. The taller teen sure was shy, but that was fine. He wasn’t sure he could deal with another teen like Mabel. Or like Robbie as a teen. He shuddered to even think about it.</p><p>“It’s fine. She probably will and she knows these woods pretty well too, so you won’t get lost with her.” Dipper assured and Wirt nodded in relief while Greg beamed happily.</p><p>“Oh, uh, alright. That’s fine, then. Did we come at a bad time, though? Sorry for interrupting.” Wirt said, finally realizing that they might be in the way of the group of tourists finishing the “mystery tour” came into the gift shop and immediately swarmed the isles.</p><p>“No, it’s fine. You guys dropping in is seriously going to be the highlight of the day, so no worries. I get done in about an hour when the other cashier gets here, so if you want to hang around here for a while, it's fine. And if Grunkle Stan starts to pressure you into getting something, just tell him you’re waiting for your parents to give you money or something.” he advised and Wirt looked a little startled, but nodded.</p><p>“Oh, um, alright. If you don’t mind.” Wirt said hesitantly, but was cut off when a bright flurry of emotion barreled into the conversation.</p><p>“Hey, guys! Hope you didn't miss me too much!” Mabel said brightly, now wearing a bright purple sweater with a picture of a burning candle on it and a light blue skirt.</p><p>“Hi Mabel! Cool sweater!” Greg greeted the girl again and she smiled at him happily, giving a little twirl to show off.</p><p>“Why thank you very much! I made it myself! And I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who doesn't think that wearing sweaters in the summer is perfectly fine.” she looked over to Wirt who blushed and tugged at the bottom of his sweater.</p><p>“Oh! Um, it’s just, a, uh, thing I do, but I don’t make them myself. Thats, um, pretty cool. It looks pretty well made too.” Wirt said earnestly even as he struggled to keep the blood from rushing to his face. Mabel preened at the complement and Dipper smiled at the genuine nature of the two brothers.</p><p>“Thanks! I couldn't definitely make a sweater for you too if you want! I’ve been offering to make one for Dipper, but he never lets me!” She pouted and Greg huffed.</p><p>“Wow. really? If i had a sister who made me sweaters, I’d have them make me sweaters all the time. Sadly, I just have a brother who wears them all the time.” he said and looked down. Wirt raised an eyebrow and rolled his eyes, but Mabel simply scooped the younger boy up in a hug.</p><p>“Aww! I would make you all the sweaters!” she cooed and cuddled the boy and the frog. The boys simply exchanged looks and rolled eyes in a mutual agreement that siblings were weird.</p><p>“Yay! Wirt, can she be my sister now so she can make me sweaters?” Greg asked and Wirt could only chuckle in fond exasperation, but also embarrassment at the question.</p><p>“I’ll definitely be your sister! With your brother’s permission, of course.” she accepted happily, cuddling him close and giving Wirt a knowing look. The teen smiled and nodded, sighing a bit in relief. Dipper smiled and finally interrupted the moment, as nice as it was.</p><p>“Anyway, if you guys wanna wait in the living room, that's fine. Or chill out here with me and Mabel.” the male twin offered and Wirt nodded.</p><p>“Sure. We’ll keep you company out here.” Wirt said, feeling uncomfortable with entering their home without them and turned to tell Greg to stay with him, but instead saw him still in Mabel’s arms and being carried away in a twirl.</p><p>“Don’t worry! We’ll just be around the gift shop!” Mabel said happily, Greg already chattering away with her happily. Wirt nodded but his hands still fidgeted with the bottom of his sweater.</p><p>“Don’t worry about them. I know you just met us and Mabel’s a bit out there, but she’d never hurt him.” Dipper reassured the other teen, patting his arm, though he himself was a bit confused as to why Mabel would go off in the first place. She definitely showed interest in Wirt when first seeing him, her usual flirting vibes put out but only for a moment.</p><p>“Hmm… I’ll choose to believe you since our Uncle trusts your family so much.” Wirt said quietly, eyes trailing after the two before going to Dipper. The twins both felt like a lightning storm, but Mabel also had the added feeling of the awe and wonder of watching a meteor shower while Dipper was the serenity of watching the Milky Way. They gave off the air of trustworthiness and it let Wirt relax around them.</p><p>“So, um, is there anything I can do to help? Not that I, uh, really know how to work a register, but I can at least ask?” Wirt asked rapidly and mentally berating himself for even opening his mouth. Dipper blinked in surprise before smiling.</p><p>“You’re fine, man. No worries. And I’m pretty sure if you helped, it would just encourage Grunkle Stan to take advantage of you.” he reassured and motioned for Wirt to come stand behind the counter with him. Wirt chuckled nervously, but mostly because he wasn’t sure he was kidding or not.</p><p>“Anyway, tell me about yourself. How’d you end up in Gravity Falls?” Dipper asked and looked at the teen in curiosity. Wirt shrugged and tried to lean back against the wall casually.</p><p>“Well, um, our parents decided that they wanted a honeymoon while they had the money and didn’t want to leave me and Greg alone at home. Uncle McGucket is Jonathan’s uncle, so they sent us here with him for the summer.” Wirt said, shrugging and looking out the window. Dipper raised an eyebrow at the phrasing.</p><p>“Jonathan?” he asked and Wirt blinked in confusion before explaining.</p><p>“Oh! Uh, right! Greg and I are half brothers? So, Jonathan is his dad and he married my mom. Different last names and stuff too.” Wirt rambled and immediately mentally kicked himself for even saying anything. He didn’t want his life’s story, just an answer to his question! While Wirt was internally freaking out, Dipper’s eyes widened in surprise.</p><p>“Oh? Really? That’s cool. I couldn’t even tell.” The teen said encouragingly, correctly guessing that this was probably a sensitive topic.</p><p>“Really?” Wirt asked in surprise.</p><p>“Yeah. I mean, you can definitely tell you’re brothers and stuff. And your, um, eyes are the same.” Dipper continued, a bit awkwardly and mentally kicked himself for that last comment. Wirt blinked in surprise before smiling.</p><p>“Thanks. We both got that from our mom. Her grey eyes, I mean. And it’s, uh, not very hard to tell that you and your sister are related. Twins and all.” Wirt said shyly and Dipper laughed, nodding.</p><p>“Yeah. Twins seem to run in the family. There’s me and Mabel, and then our Grunkles. You’ve met Grunkle Ford, so don't be too surprised when meeting Grunkle Stan.” the shorter teen warned and Wirt nodded.</p><p>“Oh, that’s interesting. You and she must be pretty close.” he said softly, smiling at the thought and Dipper nodded in agreement.</p><p>“Yeah. We’ve shared everything since we were born and I think we’re pretty close. she gets me and I get her, but that doesn't mean that we don’t still fight, y’know?” he commented and the taller teen nodded slowly. He was still getting used to the casual banter that should come between siblings and reigning himself in when he thought he crossed the line. Luckily, Greg was a good sport about it and knew that his older brother was trying.</p><p>“So, um, where are you guys from? Your, um, Grunkle, said that you come here during the summer, so I can only assume you don’t live here full time?” Wirt asked and Dipper visibly brightened at the mention.</p><p>“California! Piedmont, really, so it’s not too long a bus ride from here. We’ve been coming here since we were twelve since our parents decided we needed “fresh air” and stuff. We loved it so much, we’ve come back every summer!” he said excitedly.</p><p>“There’s so much more things I'm interested in here, than at home, which probably sounds kinda weird since that’s a city and this is a small town in the middle of nowhere, but yeah. I, uh, enjoy it.” Dipper trailed off in embarrassment. He hadn’t meant to go off on a small tangent or sound too eager, but Gravity Falls felt more like home than Piedmont. Luckily, the other teen seemed to understand and smiled in understanding.</p><p>“It sounds like you enjoy this place. I’m from a small town in Massachusetts and this place is surprisingly smaller than that.” Wirt chuckled and looked around. “Your shop is pretty interesting too. And you say your Great Uncles run this place?” he asked and Dipper nodded, chuckling in slight embarrassment.</p><p>“Yeah. The Mystery Shack. Grunkle Stan started it years ago to make money and never stopped. Tourists really like the whole “supernatural” shtick, but the things in his tour aren't really real. He makes most of it himself or, like you saw from Mabel, makes one of us a part of the tour as some sort of creature.” he shrugged and Wirt blinked in surprise.</p><p>“Oh? That doesn’t seem very comfortable. But I doubt <em>everything</em> in there is made up. Maybe something in there is closer to something truly supernatural than we think? Though I can’t really say since I haven't gone through the tour.” Wirt offered and chuckled slightly. Dipper’s heart caught in his throat as he felt like this would be the perfect moment to start introducing Wirt and Greg to the truth of Gravity Falls.</p><p><em>‘Now or never, Dipper! Don’t screw it up!’</em> the shorter teen yelled internally and winced a little as his voice cracked upon opening his mouth again.</p><p>“So, you, uh, believe in the supernatural? Like, ghosts and werewolves and stuff?” he asked nervously, hoping that he would get the response he wanted. Otherwise, the brothers’ stay in Gravity Falls was about to become a lot less pleasant, especially since it sounded like McGucket put <strong>him</strong> in charge of letting them know about the town’s secrets.</p><p>“Oh! Um, a little, I suppose? The, uh, east coast is full of history and myth and stuff and it’s been interesting to learn about cryptids and...things… And it’s not that hard to believe that there’s more to the world than just what we think?” Wirt stuttered, equally nervous but misinterpreting the tremors in the other’s voice as a cautious dislike in the supernatural. But he was only speaking honestly when he said it interested him. In an attempt to understand what the Unknown was, what he was now, he had delved deeply into folklore and the history of the east coast and his home. Not to mention the past two years of his life left no room for doubt that there were more things in heaven and earth that were dreamt of in his narrow minded imagination. Sneaking a glance to the other, he blinked in surprise as a look of relief and excitement swept through the other’s boy’s face and the feeling of serenity swelled to a feeling of star filled joy.</p><p>“Right?! The east coast has so much history behind it and myths and centers of power! The western coast has some stuff too, but not as much as over there or the midwest! Especially Massachusetts! How close do you live to Salem? Have you ever been there? It must be amazing to visit! I’ve always wanted to go, but I've never really had the chance to!” Dipper rambled on excitedly, his enthusiasm pouring from his lips in a torrent. At least Wirt wasn't opposed to the idea of the supernatural, so that was something to go on! He could do this! He really hoped he wasn’t coming off as way overeager, to the other teen.</p><p>“Um, well, we only live a few hours away from Salem, so I’ve been there a few times. The history and waterfront of the area is nice and there are a few other places in the area worth visiting.” he shrugged, thinking back to his visits and feeling the swirl of power and blood spilt on the land. Dipper smiled widely at him and nodded in excitement. Meanwhile, as the two teen boys bonded, Mabel and Greg were traipsing about the shop with the girl showing him the shirts and snow globes that the younger boy crowed about and agreed that things would look much better if they were more shiny, but also needed a few frogs. Like their siblings, they also went over introductions, talking about their homes and families and everyday lives. Greg had already taken a liking to the girls and only liked her more after talking with her.</p><p>“I’m glad we’re friends! Are you gonna be friends with Wirt too?” he asked and the girl nodded.</p><p>“Of course! From what you tell me, he seems like a good brother too!” she smiled and Greg nodded in agreement, looking excitedly back at his brother who was talking to his fellow teen in a relaxed way that he knew his brother usually wasn’t .</p><p>“I think he and Dipper are making friends too!” he said happily. Mabel glanced back at the two and agreed.</p><p>“Yeah. Hey, Greg?” he asked and the boy looked away from his brother and to the girl whose eyes were still on the other two.</p><p>“I really want Dipper and Wirt to be friends. Dipper has some trouble making friends and I think that Wirt would be nice to have as a friend.” she said softly and Greg smiled.</p><p>“Yeah! At home, Wirt had great friends and he’d be a good friend to Dipper and you too!” he said happily and Mabel grinned at his response, a new sparkle of mischief in her eyes.</p><p>“Soooo, Greg, does Wirt have anyone, y’know, <em>special</em> at home?” she cooed, twirling around with the boy and he tilted his head in question.</p><p>“Special? Like me and mom and dad? I think we’re pretty special to Wirt? And Sara and his friends are pretty special. Don’t tell Wirt I told you, but he really liked Sara, but they're just friends. Oh! And Tyler! Tyler really liked him, but Wirt said they didn't work out or something like that. And then Jason Funderberker is always special!” Greg went on, twirling around the girl as well as he chattered on about his brother. Mabel squealed excitedly at the mention of a boy involved in Wirt’s romantic life. She wasn't quite sure what to expect when seeing him for the first time, but she did admit he was cute. He was tall, had dark hair, deep eyes, a love for his brother that anyone with eyes could see, but also had a bookish vibe to him and a shyness that she thought was incredibly endearing. Overall, he seemed like a good guy and definitely what she’d like to have in a boyfriend but after one look at how Dipper’s eyes lit up at the sight of someone he could truly get along with, she couldn't help but get excited over a probable relationship. Looking at the two now, she could picture the two boys being cute nerds together, especially with the incredibly excited look Dipper had on his face now and the shy enthusiasm Wirt reciprocated.</p><p>“Yeah! Thanks for telling me, Greg! Anyway, I think we’ve seen all the things in the souvenir part of the Shack! We’ll give you and Wirt the grand tour later!” she said brightly and Greg nodded happily in agreement, skipping back to his brother.</p><p>“Wirt! Can we buy a cool snowglobe or bobblehead later?!” the younger boy asked excitedly as he crashed into his brother’s legs. Wirt yelped in surprise before sending a small glare down at his brother before patting the top of his head.</p><p>“We’ll see about it later, okay? First adventures first.” he reasoned and Greg nodded in agreement.</p><p>“Yes! That will be the treasure we find at the end of the forest adventure!!” he cheered and the twins exchanged a slightly nervous look behind them.</p><p>“Right.”</p><p>*</p><p>In time, the tourists came and went and the Shack returned to a peaceful state with only a few of the townsfolk wandering through the isles. Also in that time, the brothers had met both Ford and Stan at the same time and to say they were as different as night and day was an understatement.</p><p>“Fine, fine! But I’m docking your pay for the day!” Stan gtrumbled and walked off, but the younger Pines twins simply rolled their eyes, knowing he did mean it.</p><p>“You don't pay us anything, Grunkle Stan.” Dipper laughed and Ford smiled at them all, but turned concerned eyes towards the other two who were watching on the sidelines. Fiddleford had entrusted the two boys to them and while he knew that the man was a pacifist by nature, Ford had no doubt in his mind that there would be hell to pay should anything happen to the brothers. He shared a look with Dipper before speaking.</p><p>“Be careful, all of you. And be careful about the northern part of the woods.” he cautioned and turned away, still a bit uncomfortable with speaking with the younger generation. He never knew when he was going to say something not suitable for them. Dipper watched him go in sympathy before turning to the other three and grinning excitedly.</p><p>“So, should we get going?” he asked and Greg immediately cheered. Mabel nodded in excitement and chuckled at the younger boy’s enthusiasm.</p><p>“We’re ready when you are.” Wirt said gently, hand reaching out to take Greg’s. Dipper nodded in response and pulled out a worn looking gold and red journal from the fold of his hoodie and flipped through it momentarily before smiling.</p><p>“Alright. I know what we’re gonna see first! And don't worry, they’re not dangerous, just annoying.” he announced and closed his book, tucking it back into the folds of his clothes, gesturing for them to follow as he walked outside. The other three followed behind with Wirt raising an eyebrow at the comment and Greg looking incredibly excited. Mabel rolled her eyes as she realized where they were going and skipped alongside Dipper. Annoying was the right term, but they were probably a good way to break the ice for the brothers. Now she could only hope that nothing went wrong.</p><p>“So, um, what exactly are we going to see?” Wirt asked, a hint of nerves in his voice as he ushered his younger brother forward. They walked across the yard and the treeline loomed close over their heads. Wirt couldn't help but shiver as the sounds of the woods beckoned him in with their whispers of secrets. The feeling that built up in his chest wasn't one of dread. Maybe anticipation? These woods were very different than those of the Unknown of from their home.</p><p>“It’s probably best that we get there so you can see for yourself.” Dipper shrugged and crossed the treeline with Mabel following close behind. The brothers paused momentarily, staring at the trees in front of him and feeling a shiver crawl down their spine. Still, the pause was only momentary and the feeling ebated a little bit as soon as they stepped in, feeling the forest teeming with life in the most interesting places. Wirt’s brows furrowed slightly though, as once he tried to reach out to feel the presences within the forest, he was blocked. He couldn’t see what they were and it confused him. Similarly, Greg blinked in surprise but wrote it off since his abilities were not as pronounced as his brother’s for obvious reasons.</p><p>“Wirt?” he called up to his brother and Wirt looked down to see his brother raise an eyebrow in question. These were unfamiliar woods and Greg would follow his brother’s lead on this. As much as the younger boy wanted to go in and explore, if Wirt deemed it too dangerous, then he’d stay away from it to lessen his brother’s worries. Luckily for him, while Wirt looked confused, there was no tenseness from his body preparing to run, so that usually meant “not dangerous”. At least, not life threateningly dangerous in Wirt’s eyes. Trusting his brother implicity, Greg followed after the twins with a smile on his face and Wirt followed a moment after. The twins hadn’t noticed their slight delay and were whispering animatedly up ahead with each other.</p><p>“Are you sure we should go to them first?”</p><p>“It was either that or the crystals and it’s not the right time of day for that.”</p><p>“But really? <em>Them?</em>”</p><p>“They won’t bother us. Not after last time. Besides, they seem like a good choice and I’m pretty sure McGucket will <em>destroy</em> me if I show them anything else right now.”</p><p>“Ha. I think he’ll do more than that if you scare off his grandnephews!”</p><p>Wirt and Greg raised their eyebrows as they caught snippets of their conversation, but shrugged it off as they looked around. The verdant canopy shaded them from the bright rays of the sun, but allowed for the golden rays to poke through and light their way. So far, they hadn't seen much wildlife, but when they did, they didn’t seem very afraid of the children walking through the woods. Birds chirped curiously at Wirt as they saw him pass and he mentally begged that they wouldn’t all swarm him again.</p><p>“Look, Wirt! They have different trees here! Spruce and aspen and fir and pine!” Greg said excitedly as he named off all the different trees they passed. The twins looked back at them and raised an eyebrow in amusement.</p><p>“He sure knows his trees, huh?” Mabel asked, hanging back so she could scoop Greg up in a hug. The younger boy squealed in delight and hugged back. Mabel was quickly coming to be one of his favorite people.</p><p>“Yeah. He kinda took an interest in them at home and when he found out we were coming to Oregon, he demanded to look up the different trees here, so don't be surprised if he knows every single type of tree here.” Wirt explained, looking fond. Dipper nodded and smiled, looking over at a giggling Greg and Mabel before settling back on Wirt. Only half brothers, huh? It didn't seem like that to him. Snapping out of it, he set his eyes forward again and they continued to walk, chattering among themselves and filling Mabel in on some of the information Dipper and Wirt exchanged. The brothers learned that the twins had been exploring these woods since they were twelve and the journal Dipper had was written by their grunkle who had also explored these woods. In turn, the twins learned that the brothers shared a love of music, with Wirt being in his school’s band and playing several instruments and Greg being gifted with creating lyrics at the drop of a hat, regardless of whether they made sense or not. Overall, the walk through the woods was relatively peaceful and spent strengthening the growing friendship between the four. Finally, as the trees thinned a little, Dipper turned around and stopped them, now looking a little nervous.</p><p>“Alright. We’re pretty much here, but before we go on, I have to tell you something...” Dipper said softly and Wirt felt his heart jolt in panic, but fought to keep it from showing on his face.</p><p>“Please don’t tell me you actually brought us out here to beat us up or something?” he asked, hand still in Greg’s and tightening slightly and the twin’s eyes widened before they shook their heads rapidly.</p><p>“No! Of course not!” Dipper explained and Mabel agreed.</p><p>“Yeah! You guys are really cool and nice! And we’d never beat up a kid!” she said worriedly and their earnest expressions relaxed Wirt enough for him to nod, but now he was confused.</p><p>“Okay? So what did you want to tell us?” he asked and the twins exchanged a glance again before looking back at the brothers.</p><p>“So, uh, remember when I asked you if you believed in the supernatural?” Dipper asked and Wirt nodded, tension knotting in his gut.</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“Well, what would you say if we could prove to you that they’re real?” Mabel asked cautiously. Wirt stiffened and both brothers’ eyes widened, though for different reasons.</p><p>“What do you mean by that…?” Wirt asked cautiously. Internally, he was praying that they hadn’t found a mushroom ring or something. He didn’t particularly want to deal with the Fair Folk, should they be here.</p><p>“I know this may be kinda hard to believe, but Gravity Falls is home to a lot of different things, not just us humans.” Dipper said cautiously, eyes looking for any sign of panic or that the elder boy was about to take his brother and run away screaming. Wirt looked first at the twins before looking at the trees behind them.</p><p>“What-” he said but was interrupted.</p><p>“Is there really such a thing as magical flying tigers?!” was the first thing Greg blurted out, looking excited, his frog also seemingly giving a croak in curiosity. This startled the teens, but seemingly broke the tension between them.</p><p>“Wait, what? Um, maybe? But I haven't seen any here?” Dipper said in confusion.</p><p>“Oh! But imagine if there were! That would be amazing!” Mabel said excitedly and Greg nodded in agreement. Wirt, blinking and shaking his head to clear his thoughts, scrunched his nose in skepticism.</p><p>“I’m willing to believe a lot of stuff, but I’m not sure magical flying tigers is one of them.” he said and Greg pouted, putting Jason Funderburker on his head and crossing his arms.</p><p>“Aww! Wirt, you’re no fun.” he pouted. Wirt rolled his eyes and steered the conversation back on topic.</p><p>“Okay, even if we did believe you,” He did. He already did. He and Greg had been through too much not to. “why tell us about it? We’re still practically strangers, so why trust us with information like this?” he asked and Dipper nodded in understanding. The guy was in the middle of the woods with his little brother and two people they barely met. It was reasonable to be worried.</p><p>“I get it, I wouldn’t trust us that easy either, but you’re McGucket’s grandnephews. If he told you to come to us to show you around, then he wanted you to know too. You’re gonna be in Gravity Falls for the whole summer, so even if we didn’t show you stuff now, you’d eventually notice <em>something</em> going on around here.” Dipper explained, relaxing a little when he saw that they didn’t look like they were going to bolt off into the woods in fear or have a freak out.</p><p>“I guess that...makes sense…” Wirt said cautiously, but the pause in his voice made the twins freeze in nervousness “But I still don’t-” Suddenly, as if to once again break the tension, Wirt felt a tug at his sleeve and he looked down at Greg, who was looking at him with wide eyes.</p><p>“I know Dipper said it wasn’t magical flying tigers. But just in case it is, can we keep it?” he asked, completely serious, but a glint of something else in his eyes that Wirt understood as <em>‘trust me’</em> shone in his eyes. In a mixture of anxiety, paranoia, wanting to trust the twins and liking them, it all culminated into a bit of a hysterical giggle that burst from his lips and he covered his eyes, giving himself a moment to calm down. If Greg wanted to go and trusted them enough, then he would too. His brother was usually a good judge of character. Usually.</p><p>“Only if you promise to feed it.” he finally replied and Greg beamed brightly, turning back to the now stunned twins.</p><p>“Alright! Lead the way!” he smiled. Mabel was the first to come out of it, smiling beatifically at them and taking the younger boy’s hand, elbowing her brother to knock him from his frozen gaze on Wirt and led the way into the break in the treeline.</p><p>“R-right!” Dipper squeaked, snapping from his daze and doing an about face to fast walk into the trees and take the lead, leaving the other tree to trail along behind him as he mentally kicked himself for letting another voice break slip past.</p><p>*</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you to everyone who has liked this and read this and enjoyed this<br/>School hasn't been too bad yet, so i have time to write.<br/>Any and all ideas for later things are welcome because i'm unoriginal<br/>Eventually the twins will know, but today isnt that day<br/>Please tell me if i've made mistakes because they pass me by relatively easy<br/>Anyway, till next time, stay true and stay safe.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>